The former home and burial site of Elvis Presley is set to be sold at a foreclosure auction on Thursday – but his granddaughter is attempting to halt the court-approved sale of Graceland.
Actress and model Riley Keough – Elvis’s granddaughter, who became the new owner of Graceland when her mother Lisa Marie Presley died at the age of 54 in January 2023 – alleges in a lawsuit that the pending sale is “fraudulent”, reports Sky’s US partner network NBC News.
Riley Keough at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California. Pic: Reuters
The case stems from a 2018 deed of trust Keough’s late mother – Elvis’s only child – allegedly signed, securing a $3.8m loan from Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC in Missouri.
The company says Graceland was used as collateral in the loan, which was never paid back.
But in new court filings, Keough is fighting the sale of the Memphis, Tennessee, compound – claiming her mother never signed over anything and never borrowed any money.
In a statement to NBC News, Elvis Presley Enterprises – the entity that runs Graceland and the assets of the Elvis Presley Trust – suggested the announced sale is a scheme.
It said: “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.”
The lawsuit filed on 15 May in Shelby County Chancery Court alleges the loan never happened, Lisa Marie Presley never gave it her signature, the creditor – identified in a public notice of sale as Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC – doesn’t exist, and the loan’s notary public never notarised it.
Naussany Investments did not respond to a request for comment by NBC News on Monday.
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Keough has reportedly been able to get a temporary restraining order against any sale before a court rules on her application for an injunction.
A hearing on Keough’s claim is scheduled for Wednesday, according to court documents.
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For years the sprawling Graceland estate has been the destination for those paying tribute to Elvis.
He purchased Graceland Mansion in 1957 and lived there until his death in 1977.