Williams said the program wrongly claimed she took control of the estate of local resident Angela Petersen. The station heavily promoted the story over the weekend and says it will air on Monday night.

The promos feature members of the Petersen family and claim they have never met Williams.

However, the mayor is insisting the network defamed her and misrepresented “what was a local resident’s dying wish to donate her estate to local domestic and family violence causes”.

“The network falsely alleged Mayor Williams took control of Angela Petersen’s estate, despite the Mayor having no knowledge of the contents of Ms Petersen’s will, prior to her passing,” Williams said in a statement.

“Mayor Williams also had no knowledge of the decision taken by Angela Petersen to list her as an executor of the will, a role the Mayor intends to discharge once the probate process begins.”

Williams, who has resisted demands she quit her job since pleading guilty to high range drink driving after crashing her council car earlier this year, sad she was involuntarily named executor of Petersen’s will.

“I have served Redland City every day for more than 18 years and I won’t let one mistake – a drink driving charge that I have taken full responsibility for – make me a target for poor journalism and defamation,” she said.

“While I was involuntarily named Executor of Angela’s will, there is a court process that needs to take place before this can be confirmed and Angela’s final wishes of supporting victims of domestic and family violence fulfilled.”

In a statement posted on Twitter, Nine reporter Josh Bavas said: “We strongly stand by our story and 9News Queensland viewers will be able to see it tonight at 6.00pm”.