Priscilla Presley makes Lisa-Marie signature fraud claim in estate battle

Damning court documents have pit Priscilla Presley against her granddaughter Riley Keough claiming she was pushed out as a trustee and an ‘inconsistent signature’ from her daughter Lisa Marie was used. 

Priscilla filed legal documents to set aside an amendment to Lisa Marie’s 2010 trust which eliminates her and her daughter’s former business manager Barry Siegel as trustees and replaced them with her grandchildren Riley and the late Ben Keough.

Ben Keough committed suicide in 2020 which would leave Riley as the sole trustee for Lisa Marie’s estate, but Priscilla hopes to make this amendment invalid.

Priscilla has questioned the validity and authenticity of the amendment, claiming it was never delivered to her, the date on the document is suspicious, the document misspells Priscilla’s name, and Lisa Marie’s signature ‘appears inconsistent with her usual and customary signature.’

On January 29, 1993, Lisa Marie executed a revocable living trust, which she amended and completely restated on January 27, 2010.

‘Lisa Marie Presley appointed her mother, Petitioner, and her former business manager, Barry Siegel, as co-Trustees effective as of the date of the 2010 restatement,’ the court filing states.

‘The 2010 restatement further provides that Petitioner and Barry Siegel shall continue to serve as co-Trustees upon Lisa Marie Presley’s subsequent incapacity and/or death.’

In 2018, Siegel and Lisa Marie, became entangled in a hefty court battle with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s daughter claiming that Siegel had put his own financial interests ahead of her own. She then cut ties with Siegel.

Priscilla’s fresh filings state that after Lisa Marie’s death that she discovered that a document existed with an amendment made on March 11, 2016.

‘The Purported 2016 Amendment removed and replaced Petitioner and Barry as both current and successor Trustees of the Trust with Lisa Marie Presley as the current Trustee and naming Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter, Riley Keough (‘Riley’), and son, Benjamin Keough (‘Benjamin’), as successor co-Trustees of the Trust upon Lisa Marie Presley’s incapacity and/or 10 death,’ the court documents stated.

Priscilla filed legal documents to set aside an amendment to Lisa Marie’s 2010 trust which eliminates her and her daughter’s former business manager Barry Siegel as trustees and replaced them with her grandchildren Riley and the late Ben Keough (pictured)

Ben Keough committed suicide in 2020. This would leave Riley as the sole trustee for Lisa Marie’s estate, but Priscilla hopes to make this amendment invalid. Riley is seen here in the final photo with her mother before the 54-year-old died

‘There are many issues surrounding the authenticity and validity of the Purported 2016 Amendment.’

The court filing goes on to add:

The Purported 2016 Amendment was never delivered to Petitioner during Lisa Marie Presley’s lifetime as required by the express terms of the Trust.

1. The date of the Purported Trust Amendment was added via .pdf on March 14.
2. The Purported 2016 Amendment, allegedly signed by Lisa Marie Presley, misspells her mother’s name.
3. No provisions of the Purported 2016 Amendment appear on the signature page.
4. Lisa Marie Presley’s signature appears inconsistent with her usual and customary signature.
5. The Purported 2016 Amendment was neither witnessed nor notarized.

Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley who died on January 12 at age 54, and left behind a rock-and-roll legacy — including a rocky financial path marked with losses and lawsuits over money. 

Priscilla (left) has questioned the validity and authenticity of the amendment, claiming it was never delivered to her, the date on the document is suspicious, the document misspells Priscilla’s name, and Lisa Marie’s signature ‘appears inconsistent with her usual and customary signature.’ Priscilla and Lisa Marie are seen here with ‘Elvis’ star Austin Butler

In 2018, Siegel and Lisa Marie, became entangled in a hefty court battle with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s daughter claiming that Siegel had put his own financial interests ahead of her own. She then cut ties with Siegel

Lisa Marie, a singer-songwriter like her father, wasn’t rich enough to make the Forbes list of highest-paid entertainers, while some celebrity websites even estimated that she may have had a negative net worth at her death.

Lisa Marie still owned Graceland, Elvis Presley’s estate that is now a tourist attraction, through a trust, which will now be inherited by her children, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a Graceland spokesperson.

A detailed glimpse of her financial situation emerged in 2018 when she sued Siegel claiming he had mismanaged her finances, resulting in her $100 million trust dwindling to $14,000 in cash by 2016. 

The lawsuit also claimed Lisa Marie had racked up $500,000 in credit card debt, according to Reuters.

Starting in 2005, Lisa Marie suffered an ’11-year odyssey to financial ruin,’ the lawsuit claimed. 

‘Lisa has been damaged in an amount that has not yet been fully ascertained, but is believed to be in excess of $100 million.’

The suit followed her divorce from musician Michael Lockwood being finalized in 2021.

Lisa Marie, who was nine when her father died, remained the sole owner of Graceland and her 15 percent stake in EPE likely continues to generate a steady income

Lisa Marie’s and her former business manager Barry Siegel were entangled in lawsuits before her death. Siegel claimed that her financial problems were due to her own missteps. The litigation claiming she ‘twice squandered’ her inheritance

During the divorce proceedings, Lisa Marie claimed she was $16 million in debt, with most of that stemming from unpaid taxes, according to TMZ.

Priscilla blamed the root cause of her financial woes on a 2005 deal to sell an 85 percent stake in the Elvis Presley Estate (EPE) to CKX, an entertainment company that also owned the ‘American Idol’ television show.

She received $50 million plus stock in CKX, along with keeping a 15 percent interest in EPE, as well as the title to Graceland, the Associated Press reported at the time.

CKX was later sold to Apollo Global Management for $509 million.

Lisa Marie’s suit claimed that Siegel put his own financial interests ahead of her own, alleging he bought a $9 million English home using the trust’s money. 

Meanwhile, Siegel countered in his own lawsuit that Lisa Marie’s financial problems were due to her own missteps. The litigation claimed she had ‘twice squandered’ her inheritance and blamed her ‘spendthrift ways,’ Reuters said.

But Lisa Marie, who was nine when her father died, remained the sole owner of Graceland and her 15 percent stake in EPE likely continues to generate a steady income. 

Lisa Marie last year said she earned nearly $104,000 a month from ‘Elvis Enterprises.’

The suit with Siegel followed her divorce from musician Michael Lockwood being finalized in 2021. Lockwood and Lisa Marie split in 2016 when he asked her to pay him $263,000 a year so that he can ‘enjoy a lifestyle that is closer to my marital status of living’. He also sought $40,000 a month in child support

Last week, the custody battle over Lockwood and Lisa Marie’s twins, Finley and Harper Vivienne, 14, (pictured) appeared to settle – the 61-year-old guitarist reportedly to get full custody

The case against Siegel rumbled on for years.

In 2019 she won a small victory when she was granted a motion by a judge to shut down subpoenas of her bank records, and asked to only turn over her bank records before 2016.

The case was still pending as of 2021.

Lockwood, meanwhile, who was asking her in 2016, when the pair first split, to pay him $263,000 a year so that he can ‘enjoy a lifestyle that is closer to my marital status of living’.

He also sought $40,000 a month in child support.

The pair had a pre-nuptial agreement, but he claimed that he was badly advised by his lawyers.

The case was settled in 2018 in her favor, but in 2021 Lockwood went back to court demanding child support. She had avoided paying him support for years, saying she did not have the means to do so.

Lisa Marie Presley died at the age of 54, hours after she suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, California

Fans visited the grave of Lisa Marie Presley and Graceland meditation pool during her memorial on January 22 after her death ten days earlier

However, he demanded she finally pay up – claiming she was flush with cash from her $1 million book deal and the Elvis biopic.

The case was still unsettled at the time of her death.

Last week, the custody battle over Lockwood and Lisa Marie’s twins, Finley and Harper Vivienne, 14, appeared to settle – the 61-year-old guitarist reportedly to get full custody, according to TMZ.

Sources told the outlet that the teenagers have been living with Lockwood since Lisa Marie’s death, after the musician already shared joint custody with her.

The publication claimed that there was discussion that Lisa Marie’s ex Danny Keough might attempt to get custody after moving back into her home to support her full-time.

However, under California law, Lockwood would only have been denied full custody if there were findings of unfitness of his part as he already shared custody, it was reported.