World

Elvis's granddaughter fights Graceland auction

08:09 am on 22 May 2024

Graceland is at the centre of a dispute with a company that says the compound was used as collateral for a loan by Lisa Marie Presley. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

By Steven McIntosh, BBC entertainment reporter

Elvis Presley's granddaughter, actress Riley Keough, is attempting to halt the proposed sale of Graceland, the late singer's home in Memphis, Tennessee.

Keough inherited the mansion and much of Presley's estate after her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, died last year.

However, Graceland is now at the centre of a dispute with a company that says the compound was used as collateral in a US$3.8m (NZ$6.3m) loan that was taken out by Lisa Marie but never paid back.

Keough alleges that the paperwork on the loan is fraudulent and that her mother's signature was forged.

The 34-year-old actress, who is best known for starring in Amazon's Daisy Jones & the Six, has filed a legal action to stop a planned auction from taking place on Thursday.

Actress Riley Keough inherited the mansion last year. Photo: AFP

Naussany Investments, the company that says it provided the loan, has not yet publicly commented.

Elvis Presley Enterprises, which runs Graceland and the assets of the Elvis Presley Trust, alleges that the loan never took place and that Lisa Marie never gave her signature.

In a statement, the group 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."

Keough's claim says the proposed sale would be "non-judicial" and based on paperwork that violates Tennessee law.

A hearing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, according to court documents.

Elvis bought Graceland Mansion in 1957 and lived there until he died two decades later.

In the early 1980s, the 14-acre compound was opened to the public as a music history theme park. Today it attracts roughly 600,000 visitors a year, according to the venue.

- BBC