A heartbroken Priscilla Presley has hit back at “ridiculous” new claims that she prematurely brought on her daughter Lisa Marie’s death to gain control of her ex Elvis’ fortune once and for all.
In a shocking new lawsuit against Priscilla, 80, her former business partners Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko accuse her of fraud and breach of contract, alleging they saved her from financial ruin only for her to cut them off in 2023.
But it’s their claims that the Presley matriarch pushed an ailing Lisa Marie into attending the Golden Globes that January and days later, hastily turned off her life support for her own gain that have devastated her.
“Priscilla rushed to West Hills Hospital and despite Lisa’s clear directive to ‘prolong her life,’ Priscilla pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted,” the lawyers claim.
“Priscilla knew that Lisa’s death neutralised the threat of her efforts to have Priscilla removed as the sole trustee of her irrevocable life insurance trust and Priscilla ultimately wanted to control… Graceland.”
‘RIDICULOUS’ CLAIMS
A Presley insider tells Woman’s Day the hurtful accusations have pulled Priscilla back into grieving for her daughter all over again.
“She is not coping at all with the claims but she’s at the point she’s tired of fighting the lies about her and her family,” the source says.
“She would give anything, her own life if she could, to have Lisa Marie back. It’s incomprehensible that she be facing these claims after burying her own daughter.”
Perhaps worse for Priscilla, insiders say her ongoing battle against her former business partners is now threatening to “put more strain” on her relationship with her granddaughter, actress Riley Keough, who is the current sole trustee of the Graceland estate.
Priscilla’s lawyer, Marty Singer, says the lawsuit is “fabricated claims”, and that Riley “stands behind her grandmother 100 per cent”. Still, it’s no secret the women have had a challenging time hashing out the legal complexities of their family’s estate since Lisa’s death.
“Riley will always back her grandma. Even though her mum did have a love-hate relationship with Priscilla, they always dealt with it behind closed doors,” the insider says.
“The shadow of Elvis and his legacy kept them all aligned when it came to their public image. But Riley’s not stupid either and having gone through her own legal wrangle with Priscilla shortly after Lisa-Marie died, she knows how far she’ll go in getting her way.”
A CURSED FORTUNE
Music legend Elvis died back in 1977, but the vast fortune he left behind has cast a shadow over the women in his family. In 2016, Lisa Marie amended her trust to cut out Priscilla as a trustee, starting the battle for the estate which ramped up after her death.
Riley admitted “there was a bit of upheaval” around the legal drama, but that she and her grandma were working to ensure “everything’s going to
be how it was”.
“She’s a beautiful woman, and she was a huge part of creating my grandfather’s legacy and Graceland,” Riley said. “It’s very important to her. He was the love of her life. Anything that would suggest otherwise makes me sad because… all she wants is to love and protect Graceland and the Presley family and the legacy.”
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