Reese Witherspoon and family go to court in Tennessee

Reese Witherspoon was with her family in Tennessee on Friday for an emergency hearing before a judge whose responsibilities include the creation and supervision of conservatorships.

Witherspoon could be seen on video, posted by the Tennessean, holding her father John Witherspoon’s arm as they entered the closed courtroom. According to that outlet, she and her brother asked the judge to place the 70-year-old under a conservatorship.

Court documents from Friday’s hearing were reportedly ordered sealed, but the same restrictions didn’t apply to a lawsuit filed earlier in the week by Betty Witherspoon, John’s wife and Reese’s mom. Citing bigamy, her suit seeks the annulment of her husband’s recent marriage to a woman named Tricianne Taylor.

A wedding announcement was published in the Tennessean in late April, declaring the two had been wed in January.

In her affidavit, Betty Witherspoon said John didn’t know who Taylor was or remember marrying her, expressing concern for his safety and saying she suspected him to be in the early stages of dementia. The Witherspoons separated in 1996, allegedly over his hoarding and alcohol issues, but never divorced.

A restraining order was put in place Wednesday preventing Taylor from using the last name “Witherspoon” for any purpose or attempting to get credit by representing herself as John’s wife, according to a court document obtained by Radar Online. She was also prohibited from taking, hiding or selling any of John Witherspoon’s personal property.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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