The granddaughter of Elvis Presley is seeking to block the impending sale at a foreclosure auction of the rock’n’roll legend’s historic Graceland mansion, branding it “fraudulent”.
Actor Riley Keough, known for her roles in Magic Mike and the hit miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six, became the new owner of Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, following the death of her mother, Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley, last year.
Keough was named the sole trustee of the family estate after a legal battle with her grandmother, Priscilla Presley, 78.
Elvis Presley purchased the property for £102,500 in 1957 – the same year he released hits such as “All Shook Up” and “Blue Christmas” – and lived there until his death in 1977.
NBC News reports that a lawsuit filed by Keough alleges the pending sale of Graceland is fraudulent.
A temporary restraining order on the sale was issued on Monday (20 May), per Keough’s lawyer, and an injunction hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
According to the legal notice, Lisa Marie Presley allegedly signed a Deed of Trust in 2018 to secure a $3.8m (£2.9m) loan through a Missouri company called Naussany Investments and Private Lending, using Graceland as collatoral.
The company is now reportedly claiming that Lisa Marie did not pay back the money before her death, aged 54, last year.
However, Keough’s lawsuit, filed on 15 May, claims her mother’s signatures on the documents are forgeries, that the loan never transpired, that Naussany Investments is not a real company, and that the loan’s notary public did not notarise it.
In a statement to NBC News, Elvis Presley Enterprises, the organisation that runs Graceland and the assets of the Elvis Presley Trust, suggested the announced sale is a scheme.
“Elvis Presley Enterprises can confirm that these claims are fraudulent. There is no foreclosure sale. Simply put, the counter lawsuit has been filed is to stop the fraud,” a spokesperson said.
The Independent was unable to find contact information for Naussany Investments.
The Graceland estate was inherited by Lisa Marie upon the rock icon’s death and was opened to the public as a museum in 1982. The 13.8-acre property attracts around half a million visitors each year, as fans make a pilgrimage to pay tribute to one of America’s most significant musicians.
Tours inside the property offer visitors a chance to see Presley’s liiving room, the kitchen, TV room, pool room, Meditation Garden, his father’s office, and the famous Jungle Room, filled with family heirlooms and furniture that the star, who called the space “The Den”, initially bought in an attempt to irritate his father.
It comes complete with a built-in rock waterfall, green shag carpet and laquered wood furniture, said to have been inspired by Presley’s time in Hawaii.
