Priscilla Presley lawsuit

Photo Credit: Priscilla Presley by ruthdaniel3444 / CC by 2.0

Priscilla Presley is being sued by former business partners who accuse her of fraud and breach of contract in order to gain control of the estate.

Priscilla Presley faces a lawsuit filed by her former business partners with allegations of fraud and breach of contract. Filed in California state court, the lawsuit stems from Priscilla falsely claiming ownership of her surname and brand despite having sold those rights decades prior.

Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko claim she failed to disclose the sale while securing significant investments, leaving them on the hook for massive damages. As heads of Priscilla Presley Partners, Kruse and Fialko say they were caught in the middle of a secret power struggle over the family trust.

In 2023, while Lisa Marie Presley was hospitalized after suffering a cardiac arrest, the lawsuit says Priscilla Presley—aware that her daughter was preparing to remove her as the sole head of her trust—withdrew her from life-saving treatment in order to gain control of the estate.

“Priscilla knew that Lisa’s death neutralized the threat of Lisa’s efforts to have Priscilla removed as the sole trustee of Lisa’s irrevocable life insurance trust, and Priscilla ultimately wanted to control the Promenade Trust and Graceland,” the complaint reads. “At her house the following week (before Lisa’s funeral), Priscilla exclaimed, ‘I’m the queen! I’m in charge of Graceland!’”

Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, was the sole heir to her father’s massive estate. After her death, Priscilla Presley filed a petition challenging a 2016 amendment to the trust that removed her as well as the family’s former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees. At the same time, she designated Lisa Marie’s daughter Riley Keough and deceased son Benjamin Keough as co-trustees.

According to the lawsuit, Kruse and Fialko ultimately brokered a deal to end the dispute, which involved a $2.4 million payment to Priscilla Presley. Following that settlement, Priscilla was allegedly contacted by Keya Morgan—best known as Stan Lee’s former business manager who was acquitted on charges of elder abuse against the comic book legend. Morgan claimed in discussions with Kruse and Fialko that he could get her name, image, and likeness rights back from Elvis Presley Enterprises, which manages the rock icon’s intellectual property.

Ultimately, things went south when Morgan and Priscilla accused Kruse and Fialko of elder abuse and coercion, among other misdeeds. That led to Priscilla cutting ties with the company that bears her name and undermining the company’s ventures by exploiting her name, image, and likeness rights on her own. The lawsuit also claims she stole funds from the firm’s bank accounts.

“As detailed video recordings and communications already confirm, there is absolutely no evidence of undue influence, coercion, or elder abuse involved, only a legitimate, well-documented business partnership,” said Jordan Matthews, attorney for Kruse and Fialko.

“The evidence will establish that the real victims here are my clients, who invested millions and years of hard work into revitalizing Priscilla Presley’s brand, only to be betrayed and falsely accused once the money was on the table and every personal and business issue had been resolved.”