Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough is fighting to halt the court-approved sale of Graceland.
- READ MORE: Sofia Coppola on baring Elvis’ ugly side in ‘Priscilla’: “I never wanted him to be a villain”
The actress and model is the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, and daughter of his only child, Lisa Marie. She is currently the owner of the iconic 13.8-acre estate in Memphis, Tennessee, known as Graceland, and came into the position following the death of her mother last January.
Now, she is fighting to halt the court-approved sale of the residence, and alleges in a new lawsuit that the sale is “fraudulent”.
Details shared by NBC News highlight how the case dates back to 2018, when a deed of trust was allegedly signed by Lisa Marie and secured a $3.8million (£2.9m) loan from Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC in Missouri.
The company claims that Graceland was used as collateral in the loan, which was never paid back.
However, Keough has been fighting these claims and states that the Tennessee residence shouldn’t go to auction as her mother never signed anything over nor borrowed any money from the company. The lawsuit, which was filed on May 15, also sees Keough claim that the creditor – identified in a public notice of sale as Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC – doesn’t exist, and the loan’s notary public never notarised it.
She and the rest of Elvis Presley Enterprises also accuse the planned sale of being a scheme by the company and “fraud”.
“Elvis Presley Enterprises can confirm that these claims are fraudulent,” said the entity that runs Graceland and assets of the Elvis Presley Trust (via NBC). “There is no foreclosure sale. Simply put, the counter lawsuit has been filed is to stop the fraud.”
The legendary singer first purchased the mansion back in 1957, and lived there until his death in 1977. In the years since, it has been a destination for fans who want to pay their respects to the musician.
A hearing for his granddaughter’s claim is scheduled to take place tomorrow (May 22), as per court documents. Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC have not publicly shared a statement following the claims.
The push from Keough comes following much turmoil around the Elvis Presley estate over the past few years. Last November for instance, it was reported that the late singer’s widow Priscilla Presley had her settlement with granddaughter Riley Keough over Lisa Marie Presley’s estate approved by the courts.
The settlement stated that Priscilla can now be buried as close to her ex-husband Elvis Presley as possible at the Graceland estate when she dies, and that her son Navarone Garibaldi can participate in the memorial ceremony.
In addition, Priscilla is set to receive a $1million (£810,000) payment from Lisa-Marie’s $25million (£20.2m) life insurance trust, as well as $100,000 a year for the next 10 years for her services as a “special advisor” to Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
The conflict between the two arose around the sudden death of Lisa Marie Presley, which threw the inheritance of the Presley estate into question. Lisa Marie, as the only child, had become the sole inheritor following Elvis’ death, although the site was also managed by Priscilla.
When the trust was dissolved in 1993 on Lisa Marie’s 25th birthday, she formed a new trust, which also retained her mother as manager of the estate and co-trustee. However, Priscilla Presley filed a legal challenge disputing the validity of daughter Lisa Marie‘s will last year, after it was reportedly altered in 2016 to remove Priscilla and a former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees.
The post Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough fights Graceland auction appeared first on NME.
