Priscilla Presley\u2019s former business partners have accused her of pulling her daughter Lisa Marie Presley\u2019s life support in a bid to get control of her family name, a new lawsuit states.<\/p>\n
Lisa Marie, the daughter of Priscilla and late rock legend Elvis Presley, died in January 2023 after she went into cardiac arrest in her California home. She was 54.<\/p>\n
According to documents obtained by The Post, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, the heads of Priscilla Presley Partners, claim the 80-year-old \u201cultimately wanted to control\u201d her daughter\u2019s trust and Graceland \u2014 the iconic Memphis mansion that once belonged to \u201cThe King.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kruse and Fialko are suing Priscilla, who was married to Elvis from 1967 to 1973, for breach of contract and fraud. They are seeking at least $50 million.<\/p>\n
Priscilla is accused of being aware that Lisa Marie was preparing to remove her as the sole head of her trust and \u201cpulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted\u201d to the hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cPriscilla knew that Lisa\u2019s death neutralized the threat of Lisa\u2019s efforts to have Priscilla removed as the sole trustee of Lisa\u2019s irrevocable life insurance trust, and Priscilla ultimately wanted to control the Promenade Trust and Graceland,\u201d the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt her house the following week, Priscilla allegedly exclaimed, \u2018I\u2019m the queen. I\u2019m in charge of Graceland.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
In response, Priscilla\u2019s lawyer, Marty Singer, slammed the filing as \u201cone of the most shameful, ridiculous, salacious, and meritless\u201d lawsuits he had ever seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is nothing more than a sad and vicious attempt to falsely tarnish the reputation of an 80-year-old woman in blatant retaliation for bringing a lawsuit to redress the wrongful conduct of Brigitte Kruse, Kevin Fialko, and their co-conspirators,\u201d Singer told The Post in a statement.<\/p>\n
Last summer, Priscilla filed a lawsuit claiming she was a victim of financial abuse \u2014 alleging that Kruse, among others, took advantage of her and stole $1 million.<\/p>\n
After Priscilla and the \u201cHound Dog\u201d crooner parted ways in 1973, the lawsuit claims \u201cshe was supposed to stop using the surname \u2018Presley\u2019 \u201d per the divorce agreement.<\/p>\n
Years after Elvis\u2019 death, Lisa Marie \u2014 his only child \u2014 came into her inheritance in 1993. The lawsuit notes that the estate was valued at around $100 million at the time.<\/p>\n
The suit further alleges that Priscilla filed a petition to challenge a 2016 amendment to the trust following Lisa Marie\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
At the time, the trust had removed Priscilla as a trustee and instead listed Lisa Marie\u2019s daughter, Riley Keough, and son Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020, as co-trustees.<\/p>\n
In 2023, following her mother\u2019s death, Keough, 36, was granted sole ownership of the estate following a lengthy legal dispute with Priscilla.<\/p>\n
In the lead-up to her death, Lisa Marie had a \u201ctumultuous and tenuous\u201d relationship with her mom, with Lisa Marie even \u201cthreatening to sue\u201d Priscilla over the trust dispute, Kruse and Fialko allege in their filing.<\/p>\n
The duo claims that they \u201cworked to keep the family together.\u201d<\/p>\n
An official autopsy report noted that there was \u201cno evidence of injury or foul play\u201d in her death, adding that the \u201cmanner of death is deemed natural.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe obstruction was in the form of a strangulated small bowel caused by adhesions that developed after bariatric surgery years ago,\u201d the LA County medical examiner said at the time. \u201cThis is a known long-term complication of this type of surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kruse and Fialko further alleged that Priscilla didn\u2019t adhere to her daughter\u2019s wishes of having her life \u201cprolonged as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted health care standards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elsewhere in the filing, the duo said they brokered a deal with Keough on behalf of Priscilla. They said the deal gave Priscilla a $2.4 million payout and \u201ca seven-figure deal for Priscilla\u2019s son, Navarone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe evidence will establish that the real victims here are my clients, who invested millions and years of hard work into revitalizing Priscilla Presley\u2019s brand, only to be betrayed and falsely accused once the money was on the table and every personal and business issue had been resolved,\u201d Jordan Matthews, an attorney for Kruse and Fialko, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Lisa Marie had Riley and her late son, Benjamin, with Danny Keough. She was married to Keough from 1988 to 1994.<\/p>\n
The late singer had her 16-year-old twins, Finley and Harper, with ex-husband Michael Lockwood. They were married for a decade after tying the knot in 2006.<\/p>\n