Priscilla Presley isn’t backing down from her legal attempt to gain control of her daughter’s – Lisa Marie Presley – trust. She recently filed a petition that questions the ‘validity and authenticity’ of a 2016 amendment, which put her living trust in the hands of her daughters, more specifically Riley Keough.
On Friday, Priscilla released a statement, which was published by PEOPLE, that explained her stance amid the legal battle and sounded off on an unnamed individual, who she believes is unjustly speaking on behalf of her family. All she wants is for her ex-husband’s – Elvis Presley – legacy in the right hands.
“I loved Elvis very much as he loved me. Lisa is a result of our love. For anyone to think anything differently would be a travesty of the family legacy and would be disrespectful of what Elvis left behind in his life,” said Priscilla in the vehement statement. Her daughter suddenly passed away on January 12.
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While Priscilla Presley chose not to reveal any names, she didn’t hold back when talking about a certain ‘individual’ who is allegedly crossing the line with recent statements made about her family. She wants everyone to know this ‘person’ doesn’t represent Elvis Presley, his family, and everything he stood for.
“Please allow us the time we need to work together and sort this out. Please ignore ‘the noise.’ As I have always been there for Elvis’ legacy, our family, and the fans, I will continue to forge a pathway forward with respect, honesty, dignity, integrity, and love,” wrote Priscilla, who continues to fight for control of the trust.
While a name wasn’t given, many outlets believe Priscilla may be talking about recent comments made by Joel Weinshanker, a managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises. He was heard speaking about the ongoing legal battle on Sirius XM’s Elvis Radio and appeared to be siding against Priscilla’s argument.
“We discussed this many, many times [before] she passed, and that was always Riley and Ben,” he said of who he believes should control the trust. “There was never a question in her mind that they would be the stewards, that they would look at it the exact same way that she did. And obviously, when Ben passed, it really sat with Riley.”
Experts Believe Priscilla Presley Has a Chance at Winning Legal Battle
The living trust being questioned by Priscilla Presley was originally created by Lisa Marie Presley in 2010 and named her mother and Barry Siegel, Lisa’s former manager, as co-trustees. In 2016, that trust was amended to remove Priscilla and Siegel and, instead, replaced them with her children, Riley and Ben.
In order for the amendment to be valid and authentic, Lisa would’ve had to have the amendment delivered to Priscilla during Lisa’s lifetime. The reason Priscilla started this whole legal battle was that she allegedly never received the amendment and had no idea it was made in the first place.
“The law basically says follow whatever is in the document, and then the document says this is what you have to do. So if the court is looking at it and truly those procedures were not followed, Priscilla has a good case of arguing that this new document that essentially replaces her is not valid,” said Benny Roshan, an attorney with experience in this area.
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As it stands right now, Riley Keough is in control of her mother’s estate – her brother, Ben, passed away by suicide in 2020. While she has had an interest in controlling the estate, there’s a chance the trust defaults back to Priscilla Presley and Barry Siegel – which is essentially what Priscilla is fighting for.
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