The estate of Elvis Presley is fighting what it says is a fraudulent scheme to sell Graceland at auction to the highest bidder.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The estate of Elvis Presley is fighting what it says was a fraudulent scheme to sell Graceland at auction to the highest bidder.
An auction was scheduled for Thursday this week, but a Memphis judge blocked it after Presley’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, requested a temporary restraining order and filed a lawsuit, according to court documents.
A public notice regarding the foreclosure sale of the 13-acre Memphis estate, released earlier in May, said that Promenade Trust, which controls the Graceland museum, owed $3.8 million after failing to repay a 2018 loan Keough, an actress, inherited the trust and ownership of the house after the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, last year.
Naussany Investments and Private Lending said Lisa Marie Presley used Graceland as collateral for the loan, according to the foreclosure sale notice. Keough, on behalf of Promenade Trust, filed a lawsuit last week, claiming Naussany submitted fraudulent documents regarding the loan in September 2023.
“Lisa Maria Presley never borrowed money from Naussany Investments and never gave a deed of trust to Naussany Investments,” Keough’s attorney wrote in a lawsuit.
Kimberly Philbrick, the notary whose name appears on the documents, indicated that she never met Lisa Marie Presley or notarized any documents for her, according to court records. The Associated Press texted Philbrick to numbers believed to be hers, but she did not immediately respond.
W. Bradley Russell, Keough’s attorney, declined to comment Tuesday.
Kurt Naussany, who was identified in court documents as a defendant, directed questions in an email to Gregory Naussany. Gregory Naussany told the AP in an email: “Lawyers can comment! » Court records do not show an attorney for the company.
Court documents included business addresses in Jacksonville, Florida, and Hollister, Missouri. Both were intended for post offices. A reference to Kimberling City, Missouri, was a post office box.
An injunction hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Shelby County Chancery Court.
“Elvis Presley Enterprises can confirm that these claims are fraudulent. There is no foreclosure sale. Simply put, the countersuit was filed to stop the fraud,” Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. said in a statement Tuesday.
Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 as a tribute to Elvis Presley, a singer and actor who died in August 1977 at the age of 42. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. A large Presley-themed entertainment complex across the street from the museum is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Tim Marshall, from Queensland, Australia, visited the gates of Graceland on Tuesday as part of a week-long tour of the United States with his partner. Marshall, 54, said he heard about the attempted sale of Graceland.
“I was surprised,” Marshall said. “We don’t know enough about it. I think it wouldn’t be very good if they lost him.
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Associated Press journalists Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this story.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that Russell is an attorney for Keough and not Naussany Investments.
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News Source : abcnews.go.com
