MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Talk about a hunk, a hunk of burning legal action.
Graceland, the longtime residence of late rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley, is scheduled to be sold at a foreclosure auction on Thursday, but the King’s granddaughter is fighting to block the sale, claiming fraud.
A temporary restraining order was granted Monday in Memphis, Tennessee, according to an attorney for Danielle Riley Keough, Presley’s eldest granddaughter and the daughter of the singer’s only child, the late Lisa Marie Presley. An injunction hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, WREG-TV reported.
A legal notice published this month in the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper stated that Graceland and its surrounding acreage on Elvis Presley Boulevard will be auctioned for cash to the highest bidder on the Shelby County Courthouse steps.
A temporary restraining order on the sale was granted Monday, according to an attorney for heir Riley Keough. An injunction hearing is set for Wednesday. https://t.co/1noizwVGAF
— WREG News Channel 3 (@3onyourside) May 20, 2024
According to WHBQ-TV, Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC, a Missouri company, presented court documents claiming that Lisa Marie Presley, the former owner of Graceland before her death on Jan. 12, 2023, borrowed $3.8 million and gave a deed of trust using Graceland as collateral.
Keough became the trustee of the Promenade Trust upon the death of her mother.
In a 60-page lawsuit filed on May 15 in the Chancery Court for Shelby County, Keough alleged that the documents presented by Naussany Investments were false and that her mother did not give the company a deed of trust.
Keough claims Presley’s signatures on the deed are forgeries, and that Naussany Investments is not a real company, WREG reported. Court documents allege that the notary involved in the deed denied that she notarized Lisa Marie Presley’s signature or ever met her, according to the television station.
According to court documents, the deed was notarized in Duval County, Florida, in May 2018.
“On information and belief, Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC is not a real entity,” Court documents state. “Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC appears to be a false entity created for the purpose of defrauding the Promenade Trust (the trust of Keough and formerly of Lisa Marie Presley), the heirs of Lisa Marie Presley, or any purchaser of Graceland at a non-judicial sale.”
Kurt Naussany is also listed as a defendant in the case. It was unclear what his connection to the Naussany Investments was. Court documents alleged that Kurt Naussany “sent letters to Keough’s attorneys threatening a non-judicial sale of Graceland if the $3.8 million debt wasn’t paid.”
Elvis Presley bought the Graceland mansion in the Whitehaven area of Memphis in 1957, according to WREG. Lisa Marie Presley inherited the mansion after her father’s death on Aug. 16, 1977. It opened to the public as a museum in 1982.
Elvis Presley is buried on the grounds at Graceland, along with his parents, Vernon and Gladys, and his stillborn twin brother. Lisa Marie Presley is also buried at the mansion, along with her son, Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020.
According to court documents, Priscilla Presley, 78, is also scheduled to buried near her former husband at Graceland.
News of legal wrangling at Graceland has not affected traffic at the site. Its official website states Graceland is open daily for tours and tour tickets are being sold.
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