Latest news with #LisaMariePresley
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Priscilla Presley seen after slamming $50M lawsuit
Priscilla Presley was seen for the first time since a bombshell lawsuit claimed she 'pulled the plug' on daughter Lisa Marie's life support to regain control of the Presley estate. Elvis Presley's widow, 80, has vehemently denied the claims in the $50 million lawsuit from her former business partners Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, who allege she 'masterminded' a scheme to defraud them and exploited Lisa Marie's 2023 death. Presley was pictured landing at LAX on Sunday, looking somber as she chatted with a friend. She wore a black suit and white blouse as she made her way through the terminal - days after slamming the lawsuit as 'shameless and salacious' in a statement to the Daily Mail. The bombshell fraud and breach of contract lawsuit filed last Monday claims that 'opportunist' Presley 'clung' to Lisa Marie as the sole heir of Elvis' estate, and ignored her daughter's Advanced Health Care Directive by quickly taking her off life support after her cardiac arrest aged 54 in January 2023. The suit alleges that Presley 'ultimately wanted to control' her daughter's trust and Graceland' and that Lisa Marie had 'no desire to see or otherwise be near' her mother before they attended the 2023 Golden Globes in support of the Elvis biopic, two days before her death. 'Crucially, Priscilla was aware that Lisa was getting ready to remove her as the sole trustee of Lisa's irrevocable life insurance trust, and was otherwise threatening to sue her', the complaint claims. Kruse and Fialko, the heads of Priscilla Presley Partners, 'worked to keep the family together', per the suit, with Presley and Lisa Marie later walking the red carpet together. It was claimed that a 'noticeably ill' Lisa Marie had complained to Presley about her health - who allegedly 'ignored the warning signs' and went with her to the Chateau Marmont for drinks. The suit alleges Presley ignored her daughter's 2010 Advance Health Care Directive - which stated she wanted her life 'to be prolonged as long as possible in making end-of-life decisions' - and ' pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted and before her granddaughter Riley [Keough] was able to get to the hospital.' Presley died from a small bowel obstruction caused by previous weight-loss surgery, 'Priscilla knew that Lisa's death neutralized the threat of Lisa's efforts to have Priscilla removed as the sole trustee of Lisa's irrevocable life insurance trust, and Priscilla ultimately wanted to control the Promenade Trust and Graceland', the suit claims. 'At her house the following week (before Lisa's funeral), Priscilla exclaimed, "I'm the queen. I'm in charge of Graceland", the suit claimed. Two weeks after Lisa Marie's death, Presley filed a legal challenge to her daughter's will - which gave control of Lisa Marie's wealthy Promenade Trust to her daughter Keough. Presley's petition challenged a 2016 amendment to the Promenade Trust which removed her and former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees while appointing Keough and late brother Benjamin as co-trustees. The matter was settled five months later. Kruse claims she and Fialko 'worked tirelessly' to negotiate a $2.4million settlement payment for Presley and 'a seven-figure deal for Priscilla's son, Navarone.' They claimed they were terminated days before the settlement was finalized, and never compensated for their work. Presley's attorney Marty Singer told the Daily Mail in a statement: ' This is, without a doubt, one of the most shameful, ridiculous, salacious, and meritless lawsuits I have seen in my practice. 'This is nothing more than a sad and vicious attempt to falsely tarnish the reputation of an eighty year old woman in blatant retaliation for bringing a lawsuit to redress the wrongful conduct of Brigitte Kruse, Kevin Fialko, and their co-conspirators. 'Kruse and her co-conspirators are now on their fourth different set of lawyers in this dispute, and this is a disgusting publicity stunt by new counsel, as evidenced by the fact that the complaint and press release were sent to the press before the complaint was served. 'Accusing a grieving mother of contributing to her daughter's death is not savvy advocacy; it is malicious character assassination, and should be broadly condemned. These fabricated claims have absolutely no validity and we are confident this case will be dismissed. 'Our client, Priscilla Presley filed a complaint over a year ago in which she alleges that she was the victim of a concerted effort by Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko (among others) to isolate her from her trusted advisors and dupe her into signing a series of agreements in which Kruse contends she gave them a majority interest in Presley's own name, image, and likeness, in perpetuity, and that purportedly required Presley to get their permission before even accepting any offer of employment or otherwise. 'In an order on one of a series of motions that Kruse filed (and lost, one after the other) in a desperate effort to avoid facing responsibility for her actions, the Court found that, 'if plaintiff's allegations are true…it is classic elder abuse.' 'After suffering a series of defeats in lawsuits in both California and Florida, Kruse and her co-conspirators are desperately and transparently employing the strategy of 'the best defense is a good offense.' 'It will not work. It is also evident that Kruse, Fialko and her new 4th set of attorneys are not happy with the rulings this past year by the judge handling the existing case against Kruse and Fialko by going forum shopping to try and go before a different judge.' The statement added that Riley Keough 'stands behind her grandmother 100 per cent and is equally disgusted with this latest, vicious attempt by Kruse to attempt to ruin her grandmother's life.' Elsewhere in the lawsuit Kruse and Fialko filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Stan Lee 's ex- business manager Keya Morgan - who was previously acquitted of theft charges against the Marvel icon - was accused of orchestrating Presley's elder abuse claims against Kruse and Fialko. The legal row first erupted in 2023 when Presley was sued for breach of contract by businesswoman Kruse - who said that she managed Presley's business and personal affairs when she was nearly broke and had outstanding tax debts of nearly $700,000. Presley denied these claims and in July 2024 sued for 'financial elder abuse' - claiming Kruse, Fialko, Vahe Sislyan and Lynn Walker Wright 'preyed on her' and stole over $1million from her - which was denied by their lawyers. Presley allegedly first approached Kruse and Fialko in 2022 when she was in 'severe financial distress'. The new lawsuit claim Kruse and Fialko restructured her finances, negotiated settlements and increased her event profits from under $10,000 to as much as $50,000 per show. The plaintiffs claim they formed several companies with Presley to 'exploit her NIL [Name, image, likeness] and invested 'large sums of money in merchandise, events, and marketing tied to Presley's image to enhance her depleted value.' The suit also alleges Presley falsely claimed ownership of her NIL, despite secretly selling the rights to the last name Presley and Graceland in 2005 for $6.5 million. It was alleged she 'never disclosed' this to Kruse and Fialko and later claimed that she 'forgot' about the deal. Morgan is accused of befriending Presley, threatening Kruse, and helping persuade Presley to sever ties with the plaintiffs by making elder abuse claims. It was claimed Morgan contacted Presley after the settlement saying that he could get the rights to her name, image and likeness back from Elvis Presley Enterprises, which manages Elvis Presley's intellectual property. The suit alleges after the settlement in 2023 Presley 'cut ties' with Priscilla Presley Partners, 'undermined their ventures, and began exploiting her NIL on her own, including high-profile appearances on NBC's Christmas at Graceland,, comic conventions, and promotional events) without disclosing or sharing proceeds. Presley is also accused of taking funds from company bank accounts and closing them without authorization and diverting endorsement payments to herself. Jordan Matthews, attorney for Kruse and Fialko, exclusively claimed to the Daily Mail: 'Our lawsuit demonstrates for the first time where Priscilla got the idea to claim elder abuse. 'We have thorough documentation to show that the idea came from Keya Morgan, who is now a co-defendant in this lawsuit, making him a serial comic book villain in what we intend to demonstrate is a real life tale of lives destroyed due to one woman's desperation and greed.' He added: 'As detailed video recordings and communications already confirm, there is absolutely no evidence of undue influence, coercion, or elder abuse involved, only a legitimate, well-documented business partnership. 'The evidence will establish that the real victims here are my clients, who invested millions and years of hard work into revitalizing Priscilla Presley's brand, only to be betrayed and falsely accused once the money was on the table and every personal and business issue had been resolved. 'Our complaint alleges that Priscilla targeted Kruse and Fialko from day one, when she was in dire financial need, faced with mounting IRS debt and multiple lawsuits, even within her own family. 'The complaint alleges that Priscilla's relationship with her daughter was in ruins for decades and long before Kruse and Fialko were involved. Kruse and Fialko invested seven figures into rebuilding Priscilla's brand, stabilizing her finances, settling her lawsuits, cleaning up numerous private family ordeals, and attempting to help Priscilla repair her relationship with her daughter. Priscilla has, in turn, smeared Kruse and Fialko with false lies and malicious campaigns.' The plaintiffs are seeking more than $50 million in damages, including punitive damages, along with injunctive relief to stop Presley from using her name, image or likeness outside of the 'agreed upon corporate structures.' The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Keya Morgan for comment and has yet to hear back. In court papers, which were filed in September 2023, Kruse said Presley had been 'about 60 days away from financial collapse' when she swooped in and got her affairs in order. Kruse said that she and the actress began a company Priscilla Presley Partners in 2022. Kruse told the court that she spent 'a significant amount of money and time' working on projects for Priscilla to capitalize on from publicity of the Sofia Coppola biopic Priscilla, which was released in October of 2023 . Priscilla's lawyer Singer said in 2024 that the star ceased working with Kruse when she found out 'Kruse and her associate were attempting to misappropriate Ms. Presley's assets and were engaging in other acts of wrongdoing.' In July 2024 Presley accused Kruse, Fialko, Sislyan and Walker Wright of financial elder abuse in a lawsuit, and 'forcing her into a form of indentured servitude' in a 'meticulously planned and abhorrent scheme.' Presley said she met Kruse in 2021 when Kruse ran a business selling Elvis memorabilia through an auction house. Kruse posed alongside Presley in an August 27, 2021 Instagram post in which she advertised a September 4, 2021 luncheon in Beverly Hills, California. The lawsuit claimed Kruse convinced Presley her former financial advisors were either 'deceitful or incompetent' - before allegedly duping her into signing contracts and forming companies which allowed her and her associates to get 80 per cent of her income - leaving Presley with 'just 20 percent of her own company.' Presley claimed the group left her with minority shares in companies they created which profited off her 'name, image and likeness'. The lawsuit was also against Priscilla Presley Partners, LLC. The lawsuit alleged funds from 2023 biopic Priscilla which starred Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny were also misappropriated and branded Kruse a 'con artist and pathological liar.' Presley also claimed her ex-business associates 'torpedoed' a deal for the star to get an ownership interest in a cosmetics company - but instead settled for a $300,000 upfront payment - which she says they put in their own bank accounts. The lawsuit claimed the associates were 'setting up new accounts at their preferred banks (and poisoning the relationship Presley had for many years with her financial institutions), adding themselves to her bank accounts, transferring funds between accounts (and to their own personal accounts), and entering into sham, insider transactions for their own benefit.' The lawsuit also claimed Kruse and associates took $40,000 out of an account for her son Navarone Garibaldi without authorization, tried to make deals related to the late Lisa Marie's estate and fraudulently charged Presley for moving and storage expenses. Presley sued Kruse for more than $1million in damages and wanted the contracts she signed with Kruse and the other defendants voided. Legal representatives for Kruse and Fialko told the Daily Mail at the time: 'The suit filed is a retaliatory lawsuit due to the one filed by Priscilla's business partners last year. 'We are confident that the facts will speak for themselves and justice will prevail. It saddens all of us who dropped our lives to provide aid to a woman who needed help and she is now attempting to use her celebrity status to ruin the lives of kind, hardworking people.' A description on Kruse's Instagram page, which has more than 356,000 followers, lists Kruse as an Entrepreneur and Director of Operations for the brand Kruse GWS Auctions.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Priscilla Presley Locked in Feud With Former Business Partners
More than two years ago, the actress Riley Keough settled a high-profile legal dispute with her grandmother Priscilla Presley over control of the Presley family trust. The litigation arose after the sudden death of Lisa Marie Presley in January 2023, placing the Presley family's messy affairs into public view. Behind the scenes, yet another acrimonious fight over money was brewing. Priscilla Presley had brought on a Florida auctioneer and a Tennessee entrepreneur to help manage her business affairs in 2022, a time when, the former advisers say in court documents, she had spent her way into financial straits. By late 2023, however, the relationship had soured and the parties began trading lawsuits. In court papers filed in Florida and California, the advisers who managed Ms. Presley's business interests under the name Priscilla Presley Partners have accused her of breaching their contracts, while Ms. Presley has accused her former partners of financial elder abuse and other offenses. The latest salvo arrived this week at Los Angeles Superior Court, where the auctioneer, Brigitte Kruse, and the entrepreneur, Kevin Fialko, sued Ms. Presley again, accusing her of fraud in court papers that seek at least $50 million in damages. In the court papers, lawyers for Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko also made a bold accusation that is sure to escalate the dispute: After Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital in 2023 following a cardiac arrest, the lawsuit says, 'Priscilla pulled the plug' on her daughter as part of an effort to 'regain control' of the family trust. 'Priscilla, who knew that Lisa was in the process of taking steps to remove her as the sole trustee of Lisa's irrevocable life insurance trust, saw an opportunity to regain control,' the lawsuit said. Priscilla Presley had acted, the lawsuit said, even though Lisa Marie had an advance health care directive in place that made clear that she wanted her life 'to be prolonged as long as possible.' A lawyer for Ms. Presley, Marty Singer, condemned the allegation in a two-page statement in which he called the new filing 'one of the most shameful, ridiculous, salacious and meritless lawsuits I have seen in my practice.' 'This is nothing more than a sad and vicious attempt to falsely tarnish the reputation of an 80-year-old woman in blatant retaliation for bringing a lawsuit to redress the wrongful conduct of Brigitte Kruse, Kevin Fialko and their co-conspirators,' the statement said. The new lawsuit does not detail how hastening Lisa Marie's death in 2023 would have affected matters involving control of the trust. The New York Times has previously reported that as early as 2016, Lisa Marie had authorized an amendment to the family trust that removed Priscilla as a trustee. But it is also not clear the extent to which Priscilla Presley knew in 2023 of the existence of the documents that said she had already been removed. A lawyer for the plaintiffs did not respond to a request for comment. In his statement, Mr. Singer labeled the lawsuit 'a disgusting publicity stunt,' adding that 'accusing a grieving mother of contributing to her daughter's death is not savvy advocacy; it is malicious character assassination.' Specifically, the lawsuit filed by Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko said Ms. Presley had 'pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted' to the hospital 'and before her granddaughter, Riley, was able to get to the hospital.' A lawyer and representatives for Ms. Keough, the trustee of the Presley family trust, did not respond to requests for comment. In his statement, Mr. Singer said Ms. Keough 'stands behind her grandmother 100 percent and is equally disgusted with this latest, vicious attempt by Kruse to attempt to ruin her grandmother's life.' While the Elvis brand takes in more than $100 million a year, business dealings over the years have reduced the Presley family stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises, a venture operated by Authentic Brands Group, to a 15 percent share. Profits from that stake are funneled to the family's Promenade Trust. Elvis Presley Enterprises operates Elvis's former home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tenn. But the trust retains the house itself. In 2023, when Priscilla Presley disputed the authenticity of documents that removed her as a Promenade trustee, Ms. Keough and Ms. Presley ultimately settled, though the financial details were not disclosed at the time it was announced. The lawsuit filed this week by Ms. Presley 's former business partners said Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko 'ultimately brokered a deal, where Priscilla was to be paid $2.4 million in aggregate, and they also brokered a seven-figure deal for Navarone Garibaldi, Priscilla's son by her longtime partner, Marco Garibaldi, who otherwise would have been entitled to nothing.' In their lawsuit, Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko say that they 'invested thousands of hours of their time" and 'millions of dollars into Priscilla,' building her 'name, image and likeness' to enhance Ms. Presley's brand. They say in court papers that Ms. Presley licensed her N.I.L. rights to their Priscilla Presley Partners and other related companies to pursue various business objectives. Ms. Presley entered into multiple operating agreements with those companies, the lawsuit said. But before entering those agreements, Ms. Presley never disclosed to Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko 'that she previously sold the rights to exploit her name, image and likeness years before, in 2005' to Authentic Brands Group for roughly $6.5 million, the court papers say. Then, the lawsuit says, just days before the $2.4 million settlement with Ms. Keough was finalized, Ms. Presley cut off Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko. The plaintiffs say they were never compensated for their work reviving Ms. Presley's finances or resolving her many legal disputes. Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko also complained in the lawsuit that they were disinvited from the premiere of Sofia Coppola's biopic 'Priscilla,' at the Venice Film Festival, despite having brokered 'additional compensation for Priscilla from A24,' according to the lawsuit. Excluding her business partners from the premiere was a breach of contract, the lawsuit says, essentially because doing so prevented the partners from advancing their businesses. They say in court papers that Ms. Presley is continuing to promote herself in a way that violates the terms of their agreement. A representative for A24 declined to comment. In his statement, Mr. Singer restated elements of the lawsuit Ms. Presley filed more than a year ago in which she said she had been the victim of 'a concerted effort' by Ms. Kruse and Mr. Fialko 'to isolate her from her trusted advisors and dupe her into signing a series of agreements.' Specifically, the lawsuit says Ms. Presley was pressured into signing more than 20 different agreements she had never seen before in a 27-minute session at Ms. Kruse's house. Ms. Presley also accused Ms. Kruse in court papers of demanding that she give up her cellphone so that all communication could be overseen by Ms. Kruse. In their own court filings, lawyers for the former advisers have denied various aspects of the claims and asked a judge to strike the request for putative damages. A case management conference in connection with the latest lawsuit has been set for February 2026. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Priscilla Presley slams 'shameful and ridiculous' lawsuit
The 80-year-old was sued for fraud and breach of contract on Monday by her former business partners, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, who are seeking $50 million in damages. Among the wide range of claims, the partners alleged that Priscilla "pulled the plug" on her daughter Lisa Marie Presley's life support, following her cardiac arrest in January 2023, because she allegedly knew, that Lisa Marie was preparing to remove her as a sole trustee of her life insurance trust. In response to the bombshell lawsuit, Priscilla's attorney Marty Singer said in a statement...
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Priscilla Presley accused of pulling daughter Lisa Marie's life-support in bombshell new lawsuit
Priscilla Presley's former business partners have sensationally accused her of pulling her daughter Lisa Marie Presley's life-support in a bid to get control of her family name, according to a bombshell new lawsuit. Lisa Marie, the daughter of Priscilla and late rock and roll legend Elvis Presley, died in Jan. 2023 after she went into cardiac arrest in her California home. She was 54. According to documents obtained by The Post, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, the heads of Priscilla Presley Partners, claim the 80-year-old 'ultimately wanted to control' her daughter's trust and Graceland — the iconic Memphis mansion that once belonged to the legendary crooner. Kruse and Fialko are suing Priscilla, who was married to Elvis from 1967 to 1973, for breach of contract and fraud. They are seeking at least $50 million. Priscilla is accused of being aware that Lisa Marie was preparing to remove her as the sole head of her trust and 'pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted' to the hospital. 'Priscilla knew that Lisa's death neutralised the threat of Lisa's efforts to have Priscilla removed as the sole trustee of Lisa's irrevocable life insurance trust, and Priscilla ultimately wanted to control the Promenade Trust and Graceland,' the lawsuit alleges. 'At her house the following week, Priscilla allegedly exclaimed, 'I'm the queen. I'm in charge of Graceland.'' In response, Priscilla's lawyer, Marty Singer, slammed the filing as 'one of the most shameful, ridiculous, salacious, and meritless' lawsuits he had ever seen. 'This is nothing more than a sad and vicious attempt to falsely tarnish the reputation of an eighty-year-old woman in blatant retaliation for bringing a lawsuit to redress the wrongful conduct of Brigitte Kruse, Kevin Fialko, and their co-conspirators,' Singer told The Post in a statement. 'Accusing a grieving mother of contributing to her daughter's death is not savvy advocacy; it is malicious character assassination, and should be broadly condemned. These fabricated claims have absolutely no validity and we are confident this case will be dismissed,' Singer added. Last year, Priscilla filed a lawsuit claiming she was a victim of financial abuse — alleging that Kruse, among others, took advantage her and stole $1 million. After Priscilla and the Hound Dog crooner parted ways in 1973, the lawsuit claims 'she was supposed to stop using the surname 'Presley'' per the divorce agreement. Years after Elvis' death, Lisa Marie — his only child — came into her inheritance in 1993. The lawsuit notes that the estate was valued at around $100 million at the time. The suit further alleges that Priscilla filed a petition to challenge a 2016 amendment to the trust following Lisa Marie's death. At the time, the trust had removed Priscilla as a trustee and instead listed Lisa Marie's daughter, Riley Keough, and son Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020, as co-trustees. In 2023, following her mother's untimely death, the Daisy Jones and the Six actress, 36, was granted sole ownership of the estate following a lengthy legal dispute with Priscilla. In the lead-up to her death, Lisa Marie had a 'tumultuous and tenuous' relationship with her mum, with the legendary crooner's daughter even 'threatening to sue' Priscilla over the trust dispute, Kruse and Fialko allege in their filing. The duo claims that they 'worked to keep the family together.' An official autopsy report noted that there was 'no evidence of injury or foul play' in her death, adding that the 'manner of death is deemed natural.' 'The obstruction was in the form of a strangulated small bowel caused by adhesions that developed after bariatric surgery years ago,' the LA County medical examiner said at the time. 'This is a known long-term complication of this type of surgery.' Kruse and Fialko further alleged that Priscilla didn't adhere to her daughter's wishes of having her life 'prolonged as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted health care standards.' Elsewhere in the filing, the duo said they brokered a deal with Keough on behalf of Priscilla. They said the deal gave Priscilla a $2.4 million payout and 'a seven-figure deal for Priscilla's son, Navarone.' 'The evidence will establish that the real victims here are my clients, who invested millions and years of hard work into revitalising Priscilla Presley's brand, only to be betrayed and falsely accused once the money was on the table and every personal and business issue had been resolved,' Jordan Matthews, an lawyer for Kruse and Fialko, said in a statement. The 54-year-old only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley died suddenly on Jan. 12, 2023, hours after she was hospitalised in critical condition after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest at her Calabasas home. She was in an induced coma and on life support with a temporary pacemaker. Lisa Marie shared her daughter Riley, 36, and her late son Benjamin, with Danny Keough. She was married to Keough from 1988 to 1994. The late singer shared her 16-year-old twins, Finley and Harper, with ex-husband Michael Lockwood. The pair were married for a decade after tying the knot in 2006.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Priscilla Presley accused of withdrawing medical care of daughter Lisa Marie before her death in new lawsuit
An attorney for Presley calls the allegations "shameful, ridiculous, salacious, and meritless." A bitter legal battle between Priscilla Presley and two of her former business partners has grown even more acrimonious in the wake of a new lawsuit. In a complaint filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court and reviewed by Entertainment Weekly, plaintiffs Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, the heads of Priscilla Presley Partners, allege that the widow of rock icon Elvis Presley "pulled the plug" on her own daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, within hours of her being admitted to the hospital, as part of a scheme to regain control of Elvis' estate, "control the narrative," and defraud her business partners. The complaint further accuses Priscilla and an associate of making false allegations of elder abuse against Kruse and Fialko to ruin their reputations. The plaintiffs are seeking more than $50 million in damages. In a statement provided to EW on Wednesday, Priscilla's attorney Martin D. Singer blasted the suit as "one of the most shameful, ridiculous, salacious, and meritless lawsuits I have seen in my practice." He added, "This is nothing more than a sad and vicious attempt to falsely tarnish the reputation of an eighty year old woman in blatant retaliation" for a suit Priscilla previously brought against Kruse and Fialko. Singer also claimed that Lisa Marie's eldest child, the actress Riley Keough, "stands behind her grandmother 100 percent" and is "disgusted" by the allegations contained in Kruse and Fialko's suit. (Representatives for Keough didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment.) Kruse and Fialko's attorney Jordan Matthews claimed in a statement provided to EW that his clients are in possession of "video recordings and communications" which "confirm [that] there is absolutely no evidence of undue influence, coercion, or elder abuse involved, only a legitimate, well-documented business partnership," and that his clients are the "real victims." The legal battle between Priscilla Presley, Kruse, and Fialko began in October 2023 when Kruse filed a breach of contract suit alleging that Presley sent the GWS Auctions founder and her business associate a cease-and-desist, abruptly cutting off a business partnership Presley brokered the year prior. Kruse claimed that Presley sought help developing her name and likeness rights as a bulwark against mounting debt. Presley's former partners alleged that their efforts resulted, among other things, in the 2023 biopic Priscilla, but they received no credit on the Golden Globe-nominated film. Presley subsequently sued Kruse and Fialko, alleging that the pair, their Priscilla Presley Partners venture (over which they maintained a controlling stake), and additional partners Vahe Sislyan and Lynn Walker Wright sought to wrest complete control of Presley's finances by forcing her into "a form of indentured servitude." The suit claimed that Presley had signed away 80 percent of her income to Kruse and Fialko. Matthews said in a statement Wednesday that "Elder abuse is a very serious problem in our society," and that Presley's claim of indentured servitude "unfortunately undermines the important work of the Civil Rights movement."Singer said in his statement, "Accusing a grieving mother of contributing to her daughter's death is not savvy advocacy; it is malicious character assassination, and should be broadly condemned. These fabricated claims have absolutely no validity and we are confident this case will be dismissed." Lisa Marie Presley died Jan. 12, 2023, from a small bowel obstruction, a complication resulting from a past bariatric surgery. She was 54. Priscilla shortly thereafter filed a motion to contest her daughter's will, which had been amended in 2016 to name Keough and her brother Benjamin as co-trustees, replacing Priscilla and her former business manager, Barry Siegel. Grandmother and granddaughter reached an undisclosed settlement later that year. (Benjamin Keough died in 2020.) "Riley is now the executor, which should be right, obviously, being her daughter," Priscilla Presley stated after settling with her granddaughter. "Riley and I are on good terms. We were never not on good terms. That was all publicity." Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
