Lisa Marie Presley’s will being legally challenged by mother Priscilla
- A 2016 amendment removed Priscilla as a trustee of Lisa Marie’s estate and replaced her with the singer’s children
- A court petition claims that the change ‘misspells her mother’s name’, an error that has led Priscilla to question its legitimacy
Priscilla Presley has filed a legal challenge over the “authenticity and validity” of an amendment made to her daughter Lisa Marie Presley’s will seven years ago.
According to a filing to the Los Angeles Superior Court, seen by the BBC and the Los Angeles Times, Lisa Marie removed both her mother and her former business manager, Barry Siegel, as co-trustees of her estate in 2016.
In their place, Lisa Marie’s two oldest children, Riley Keough, 33, and Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020, were made co-trustees to oversee the estate in event of Lisa Marie’s death or incapacitation.
Lawyers for Priscilla said there were questions surrounding “the authenticity and validity” of the amendment to the will, which was dated March 11, 2016, according to the Los Angeles Times report.
The petition claims that the amendment “misspells her mother’s name”, an error that has led them to question its legitimacy.
Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, dead at 54
Another issue was the signature on the document alleged to be Lisa Marie’s that was “inconsistent with her usual and customary signature”, lawyers said.
They argue the amendment was neither witnessed nor notarised and should have been delivered to Priscilla and Siegal during Lisa Marie’s lifetime “as required by the express terms of the trust”, per the Times.
As a result, the 77-year-old former Dallas star only became aware of the “purported” changes after her daughter’s death earlier this month.
Priscilla and Siegal were first placed in charge of the living trust – which includes Elvis’ Graceland property – in 1993 and were reaffirmed in 2010.
Priscilla’s lawyers have maintained that the 2010 paperwork is still “the controlling and authoritative document”, and have requested the court deem the 2016 amendment invalid, per both the BBC and LA Times.
They also pointed out that Priscilla believes Siegel “has already or will soon resign as co-trustee” in which case Riley Keough would have been appointed a co-trustee anyway, said the Times report.
Last week, Priscilla shared on Twitter that it has been “a very difficult time” for her and her loved ones following the sudden and unexpected death of her daughter.
“Thank you all for your condolences, you have touched me with your words,” she wrote. “It has been a very difficult time but just knowing your love is out there makes a difference.”
