Couple who got engaged at the Kentucky Castle sues, wanting to know whether guests were secretly recorded

VERSAILLES, Ky. (Nov. 13) — A Virginia couple who celebrated their engagement at the Kentucky Castle last year has sued the hotel's owners, saying they still can't find out whether they, or any other guests, were secretly recorded.

Brandi and Shawn Cupp filed the lawsuit Thursday in Woodford Circuit Court against TKC Hospitality, its parent company TKC Distilling and former CEO Wes Henderson, a bourbon entrepreneur and co-founder of Angel's Envy. They are asking a judge to certify it as a class action covering anyone who paid to stay at the castle between June 1, 2025, and Oct. 2, 2026, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

The couple stayed at the castle on Nov. 28 and 29, 2025, had engagement photos taken there and ate at the restaurant both nights. They later learned from news reports about a separate, sealed lawsuit in Oldham County in which Henderson's relatives accuse him of secretly filming people in private moments. According to that filing, family members found hidden cameras at Henderson's homes in Florida and Kentucky in June 2025, and some SD cards held footage the filing says was captured at the Kentucky Castle.

Henderson was fired as CEO on Oct. 3, about 16 months after the cameras were first found, the Courier Journal reported. He has denied the allegations through an attorney. No criminal charges have been filed, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has confirmed it is investigating, WKYT reported.

The new suit says the couple and their lawyers have tried law enforcement, Homeland Security and the castle's attorneys and still haven't learned where any devices were, when they were installed or removed, who was recorded or who has seen the footage. It accuses the companies of negligence for failing to protect guests from hidden recording devices.

TKC Hospitality said in a statement Thursday that it "unequivocally rejects" claims that guests were secretly recorded. An attorney for the company has said a private investigative firm swept the property and found no recording devices, though the company hasn't said when the search happened or which areas it covered. The castle has 18 guest rooms, a restaurant and a spa, WLKY and the Herald-Leader reported.