Now that Lisa Marie Presley has been laid to rest at Graceland, her surviving family and their counsel are left with the task of sorting out her estate. In an unfortunate turn of events, reports now claim that Priscilla Presley is contesting her daughter’s will in a bid to gain control of the trust.
Priscilla Presley Challenges 2016 Amendment To Daughter’s Will
The petition concerns a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s will that removes Priscilla and her former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees, subsequently replacing them with her eldest children, Riley and Benjamin Keough.
However, since Benjamin died by suicide in 2020, Riley currently stands as the sole inheritor of her mother’s fortune—including the remaining inheritance from her legendary father, Elvis Presley.
Suggest previously reported that Graceland is being held in a trust benefiting all three of Lisa Marie’s daughters, including her 14-year-old twin daughters, Finley and Harper Lockwood.
Priscilla has now filed documents in the Los Angeles Superior Court challenging multiple aspects of said amendment. According to Elvis Presley’s ex-wife, Lisa Marie’s signature on the document “appears inconsistent with her usual and customary signature.”
In addition to the claim about the autograph, Priscilla also notes that her name was misspelled on the document. The motion goes on to claim that the amendment wasn’t notarized and was never delivered to Priscilla, apparently violating their 2010 trust arrangement.
Value Of Lisa Marie Presley’s Estate Currently Unclear
Priscilla hasn’t publicly commented on the development, and it’s unclear how the legal battle will play out from here. It’s been widely reported for years that Lisa Marie struggled financially.
She even sued Siegel for “recklessness and negligence” in his handling of her father’s inheritance, claiming her trust had dwindled from $100 million to just $14,000, via Classic Country. “Siegel repeatedly led Lisa to believe she was in ‘good shape’ with her finances,” the suit claimed.
However, Siegel counter-sued Lisa Marie for $800,000 in unpaid fees. Siegel publicly stated that Lisa Marie had “uncontrollable spending habits” and that she “squandered” her father’s fortune. At this time, it isn’t clear how valuable Lisa Marie’s estate really is—or how strong her mother’s claim is.
What we are certain of is that this is just the beginning, and we’ll certainly be watching closely from here as the legal battle unfolds.