UPDATE 05/22/2024 5:45 P.M. PST: Good news for Riley Keough. A judge at the Shelby County Chancery Court in Memphis, Tennessee, halted the sale of Graceland on Wednesday. Chancellor JoeDae L. Jenkins determined any sale or “loss” of the “unique” estate “will be considered irreparable harm” and thus stopped it. Phew! Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises said in a statement to People after the decision:
“As the court has now made clear, there was no validity to the claims. There will be no foreclosure. Graceland will continue to operate as it has for the past 42 years, ensuring that Elvis fans from around the world can continue to have a best in class experience when visiting his iconic home.”
Elvis Presley Enterprises then added:
“There is no foreclosure sale. Simply put, the counter lawsuit [that] has been filed is to stop the fraud.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation could even get involved now! Multiple sources with direct knowledge told TMZ that Graceland officials and Riley’s team contacted the agency on Tuesday. And get this. The FBI is “interested” in conducting a criminal investigation into the matter, with the would-be victims in the process of reaching out to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation! What’s more, TMZ insiders claimed those connected to the estate know the person’s identity behind the fraud.
Whoa…
So this messy situation is far from over yet!
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Riley Keough is fighting back against the supposedly “fraudulent” sale of her grandfather Elvis Presley‘s Graceland mansion in the city of Memphis!
The 34-year-old has been fighting for a temporary restraining order to halt the auction sale of Graceland, which had been scheduled to occur this Thursday. And now, according to WREG, court documents filed on Monday indicate that she’s been successful in getting the restraining order and (at least temporarily) halting the sale!
Basically, the King of Rock & Roll’s iconic Memphis, Tennessee mansion was all set to go up for auction this week after its previous owner — the late Lisa Marie Presley — reportedly failed to repay a $3.8 million loan taken out against it before she died in January of last year. Per public notices regarding Graceland’s financial dealings viewed by Page Six and others, Lisa Marie was shown to have signed a deed of trust with a company called Naussany Investments and Private Lending, LLC. She used Graceland as collateral, and then allegedly failed to repay the loan — hence the auction. But Riley says that’s bull s**t!!
Related: Elvis Presley Estate BLASTS Sofia Coppola Priscilla Movie — But Priscilla Can’t Wait!
In court docs filed late last week, Keough argued that her late mother “never” took out the loan. Furthermore, she slammed Naussany for what she claimed was straight-up fraud in their loan filing!! Per Page Six, Keough’s court filing stated:
“Lisa Marie Presley never borrowed money from Naussany Investments and never gave a deed of trust to Naussany Investments. These documents are fraudulent.”
Keough claims there were a series of other issues with the private loan provider, too. For one, Naussany allegedly “never recorded” the “purported deed of trust” with the office of the Shelby County Register of Deeds so that it could be recognized by the state of Tennessee. Also, the notary mentioned in the deed — a woman named Kimberly Philbrick — allegedly “never met Lisa Marie Presley nor notarized any documents for her,” according to Keough’s filing.
In the end, Keough’s lawyers claimed that those issues “strongly indicate the documents are forgeries.” And the court agreed! Not only was Riley granted the temporary restraining order to halt this week’s auction sale of Graceland, but she’s also been given an injunction hearing in front of a judge to more deeply make her case. That’ll happen on Wednesday.
Related: Elvis Presley Lived HERE In Las Vegas!
As you may recall, Riley was named the sole trustee of Graceland following Lisa Marie’s death last January at 54 years old. There was major controversy about that at the time, too. Riley’s grandmother Priscilla Presley questioned the “authenticity and validity” of Lisa Marie’s will, and fought against Riley inheriting the iconic home. The 34-year-old came away victorious in that instance, though. And this time around Riley would seem to be victorious again.
Graceland obviously has some serious Presley family ties in addition to the iconic spot it holds in the hearts of music fans. Elvis is buried there, as is Lisa Marie, as well as her late son Benjamin Keough. The Can’t Help Falling In Love singer’s parents Vernon and Gladys Presley are also buried at the estate. And whenever Priscilla (who is 78) dies, the plan is to bury her at the estate, too. And it’ll remain in Presley family hands throughout — for the time being, at least.
[Image via FayesVision/MEGA/WENN]