A notary said the signature on a document was not actually his.
Elvis Presley’s home, Graceland, will not be put up for auction on Thursday.
At a hearing Wednesday that lasted only about eight minutes, Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins adjourned the sale of Graceland, saying, “The notary swore he did not authenticate Lisa Marie Presley’s signature on the trust deed, which calls into question the authenticity of the signature.”
Wednesday’s hearing in Tennessee was to determine whether a questionable entity could follow through on a reported plan to auction the late singer’s estate in Memphis.
Actress Riley Keough, Presley’s granddaughter, was trying to stop a company called Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC from conducting an auction outside the Shelby County Courthouse at noon Thursday.
Keough alleges that the company submitted fraudulent documents last September “purporting to show that Lisa Marie Presley had borrowed $3.8 million from Naussany Investments and had pledged a Graceland trust deed as collateral,” according to court documents obtained by Memphis ABC affiliate WATN.
Keough is represented by attorneys based in Memphis and Jacksonville, Florida. Both attorneys declined to comment to ABC News. It is not yet clear whether Naussany Investments has an attorney.
Jenkins said “Gregory Naussany” of Jacksonville filed a one-page motion for the continuance and Jenkins denied the motion Wednesday.
“The court will adjourn the sale as requested because first, the real property is considered unique under Tennessee law and, given that it is unique, the loss of the real property would be considered irreparable harm,” a Jenkins said.
Jenkins added, “Graceland is a part of this community, much loved by this community and indeed around the world.”
ABC News obtained a copy of the motion after court Wednesday.
“I believe the claims made against Naussany Investments & Private Lending are unfounded and do not warrant the issuance of a declaratory injunction or temporary restraining order,” wrote the man identified as “Gregory E. Naussany “.
“By providing the opportunity to present its defense to the allegations made by Danielle Riley Keough, Trustee of the Promenade Trust, Naussany Investments & Private Lending is prepared to provide evidence and argument to demonstrate that the relief sought is not warranted in this case,” he added. “I respectfully request that the Court consider the motion to deny and rule in my favor.”
ABC News left a voicemail message at the phone number listed on the motion, but has not yet received a response. An email sent to the address on the document was returned.
Keough’s legal team alleged that Lisa Marie Presley’s signatures on a promissory note and deed of trust were forged. Court filings state that the documents were “purportedly admitted before Notary Public Kimberly Philbrick in May 2018 in Duval County, Florida” but were never recorded in the Shelby County Register.
Court documents show that Philbrick, a registered notary in Daytona Beach, Fla., signed an affidavit on May 8 saying she never met Lisa Marie Presley and never notarized those documents.
Philbrick has not yet responded to ABC News’ requests for comment.
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News Source : abcnews.go.com
