Priscilla Presley hit with claims she's 'responsible for Elvis' death'
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Priscilla Presley has been hit with more wild claims that legal actions she took against her ex Elvis Presley in 1977 ‘pushed’ him to his death.

An altered complaint from her past business associates, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, accuses a lien placed by Presley on Graceland, in the months preceding Elvis’ death, of contributing to his demise. These claims are firmly denied by her attorney, Marty Singer, who described them as reminiscent of conspiracy theories.

The revised fraud and contract breach lawsuit portrays Presley as an opportunist exploiting her own family and accuses her of using the lien to force her former father-in-law, Vernon—described as ‘vulnerable’ and ‘on his deathbed’—to appoint her as a co-executor of Graceland.

Presley’s lawyer slammed the latest claims in a statement obtained by Daily Mail, calling them ‘absurd’ and ‘ridiculous.’

Singer sarcastically comments, ‘Priscilla had no part in JFK’s assassination, hiding Area 51, staging the moon landing, nor is she hiding Bigfoot in Canada.’

He continues, ‘Remove the tinfoil hat and embrace reality. This matter involves Ms. Presley’s claims against Ms. Kruse (and her associates), alleged to have committed elder abuse and fraud to seize control of her finances for personal gain.’

Priscilla Presley has been hit with more claims that legal actions she took against her ex Elvis Presley 'pushed' him to his death in 1977

Priscilla Presley has been hit with more claims that legal actions she took against her ex Elvis Presley ‘pushed’ him to his death in 1977

Singer calls Ms. Kruse’s accusations nonsensical and shameful but regretfully expected. Ms. Presley is eager to hold Ms. Kruse and her accomplices accountable for their misconduct.

In a statement acquired by People, Jordan Matthews, the lawyer for Kruse and Fialko from Holtz Matthews LLP, counters Singer by noting that Ms. Presley’s defense is filled with baseless, exaggerated claims. He emphasizes that the documents clearly state the case, and Ms. Presley has yet to provide evidence for her sensational accusations. They plan to require her to answer for her reckless actions.

Presley and her granddaughter Riley Keough also called the latest allegations ‘untrue’ and ‘deeply hurtful’ in their own joint statement. 

‘We are aware of the latest allegations from Brigette Kruse. These claims are not only untrue but also deeply hurtful. Our family is, and always has been, united in love and respect for one another,’ Riley and Priscilla said in a statement obtained by People.

‘Our shared priority remains honoring Lisa Marie’s memory and protecting Elvis’ legacy with dignity. We will not allow outside voices to divide us or to diminish the strength of our bond as a family.’

The newest documents claim Presley placed a lien for nearly $500k on Elvis’ Memphis mansion just months before his death – and suggested the ‘pressure’ it placed on him led him to his death. 

‘Despite enriching herself and extorting millions of dollars from Elvis, she then placed a lien on Graceland on or around April 29, 1977, in the amount of $494,024.49, adding pressure to Elvis less than four months before he died on August 16, 1977, from a heart attack and drug complications… Priscilla exerted undue pressure on Elvis, pushing him to his death,’ the documents say. 

The documents also claim Presley is a ‘calculated sociopath and master of deception’ driven solely by power.

‘Despite flaunting a public persona that only wants to “protect” and “keep her family together,” Priscilla ultimately wants one thing, power, no matter the cost. She does anything she can to control her image with the public.’

The filing also contained an alleged letter from Riley to Presley which shed light on the family’s alleged rift, and was written after the death of Lisa-Marie as the legal fight over her estate began. 

The documents said of the events leading up to the letter: ‘After Lisa’s funeral, Priscilla immediately filed a petition in court, challenging the 2016 amendment to the Promenade Trust, and specifically challenging her own granddaughter’s inheritance, tasking Kruse and Fialko with brokering a deal with Riley. Priscilla, unrelenting in her thirst for money and power, continued to pursue claims against Riley, her own granddaughter, despite Riley’s please to honor her mother’s wishes.’ 

In the letter, Keough allegedly wrote to her ‘Nona’ over the legal fight Presley initiated for her daughter’s estate: ‘Unfortunately Nona as you are taking me to court I am being forced to defend my mother’s wishes legally and publicly which would not have been my choice.

‘It is really hurtful that after years of me trying to resolve your and my mother’s broken relationship and restore our family, you are taking me, of all people to court. I have protected you from lawsuits from my mother, often advocating for you and always tried to keep everyone operating out of love. Even a few weeks before my mother passed she wanted to sue you again and you called me for help. I advised her so strongly against it, which resulted in a fight between me and her. But as you know she chose to listen to me and not sue you. I believed then and now, lawsuits among family members have no place, but here we are.

‘I must also share with you that I found being called about the will, less than 24 hours after my mother passed and getting emails from lawyers before my mother was even buried incredibly heartbreaking. It was very upsetting that I was forced to find a lawyer to represent me and my sisters and my mother’s wishes within days of her passing. I assume that you are being advised to take these actions by your representatives, but you must know that this chosen path can only further estrange our family which is really sad.

‘My hope is that you are being poorly advised and this is not actually coming from you. But what I don’t understand is why there is a narrative that this massive falling out between you and my mother in 2016 didn’t occur. My mother very loudly and clearly asserted to many people, including you, that she felt you had financially and personally betrayed her and as a result she was taking you off of the trust and replacing you with my brother and me. If you are trying to remove me from the estate under the guise that you don’t remember the falling out about the promenade trust and her finances, it doesn’t make any sense because you were still estranged from my mother at the time of her death, all as a result of this same falling out. I am now being forced to fight you in court to protect my mother and my mother’s wishes for her estate which you know goes against my nature.’

The law suit was first filed by Kruse and Fialko last month, with the duo alleging Presley ‘pulled the plug’ on daughter Lisa Marie’s life support to regain control of the Presley estate.

They alleged she ‘masterminded’ a scheme to defraud them and exploited Lisa Marie’s 2023 death – claims Presley slammed as ‘shameless and salacious’ in a statement to the Daily Mail. 

The bombshell fraud and breach of contract lawsuit claims that ‘opportunist’ Presley ‘clung’ to Lisa Marie as the sole heir of Elvis’ estate, and ignored her daughter’s Advanced Health Care Directive by quickly taking her off life support after her cardiac arrest aged 54 in January 2023. 

Presley's widow, 80, vehemently denied the claims in the $50million lawsuit from her former business partners Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, who allege she 'masterminded' a scheme to defraud them and exploited Lisa Marie's 2023 death - pictured 2015

Presley’s widow, 80, vehemently denied the claims in the $50million lawsuit from her former business partners Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, who allege she ‘masterminded’ a scheme to defraud them and exploited Lisa Marie’s 2023 death – pictured 2015

Presley is pictured with Brigitte Kruse in 2021

Presley is pictured with Brigitte Kruse in 2021

The suit alleged that Presley ‘ultimately wanted to control’ her daughter’s trust and Graceland’ and that Lisa Marie had ‘no desire to see or otherwise be near’ her mother before they attended the 2023 Golden Globes in support of the Elvis biopic, two days before her death.

‘Crucially, Priscilla was aware that Lisa was getting ready to remove her as the sole trustee of Lisa’s irrevocable life insurance trust, and was otherwise threatening to sue her’, the complaint claimed.

Kruse and Fialko, the heads of Priscilla Presley Partners, ‘worked to keep the family together’, per the suit, with Presley and Lisa Marie later walking the red carpet together.

It was claimed that a ‘noticeably ill’ Lisa Marie had complained to Presley about her health – who allegedly ‘ignored the warning signs’ and went with her to the Chateau Marmont for drinks.

The suit alleges Presley ignored her daughter’s 2010 Advance Health Care Directive – which stated she wanted her life ‘to be prolonged as long as possible in making end-of-life decisions’ – and ‘pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted and before her granddaughter Riley [Keough] was able to get to the hospital.’

Presley died from a small bowel obstruction caused by previous weight-loss surgery,

‘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 suit claims.

‘At her house the following week (before Lisa’s funeral), Priscilla exclaimed, “I’m the queen. I’m in charge of Graceland”, the suit claimed.

Two weeks after Lisa Marie’s death, Presley filed a legal challenge to her daughter’s will – which gave control of Lisa Marie’s wealthy Promenade Trust to her daughter Keough.

The suit alleged that Presley 'ultimately wanted to control' her daughter¿s trust and Graceland' and that Lisa Marie had 'no desire to see or otherwise be near' her mother before they attended the 2023 Golden Globes in support of the Elvis biopic, two days before her death - pictured

The suit alleged that Presley ‘ultimately wanted to control’ her daughter’s trust and Graceland’ and that Lisa Marie had ‘no desire to see or otherwise be near’ her mother before they attended the 2023 Golden Globes in support of the Elvis biopic, two days before her death – pictured

Presley’s petition challenged a 2016 amendment to the Promenade Trust which removed her and former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees while appointing Keough and late brother Benjamin as co-trustees.

The matter was settled five months later.

Kruse claims she and Fialko ‘worked tirelessly’ to negotiate a $2.4million settlement payment for Presley and ‘a seven-figure deal for Priscilla’s son, Navarone.’

They claimed they were terminated days before the settlement was finalized, and never compensated for their work.

Presley’s attorney Marty Singer previously told the Daily Mail in a statement: ‘This is, without a doubt, one of the most shameful, ridiculous, salacious, and meritless lawsuits I have seen in my practice.

‘This is nothing more than a sad and vicious attempt to falsely tarnish the reputation of an eighty year old woman in blatant retaliation for bringing a lawsuit to redress the wrongful conduct of Brigitte Kruse, Kevin Fialko, and their co-conspirators.

‘Kruse and her co-conspirators are now on their fourth different set of lawyers in this dispute, and this is a disgusting publicity stunt by new counsel, as evidenced by the fact that the complaint and press release were sent to the press before the complaint was served. 

‘Accusing a grieving mother of contributing to her daughter’s death is not savvy advocacy; it is malicious character assassination, and should be broadly condemned. These fabricated claims have absolutely no validity and we are confident this case will be dismissed. 

Presley's statement added that Riley Keough 'stands behind her grandmother 100 per cent and is equally disgusted with this latest, vicious attempt by Kruse to attempt to ruin her grandmother¿s life' - pictured 2015

Presley’s statement added that Riley Keough ‘stands behind her grandmother 100 per cent and is equally disgusted with this latest, vicious attempt by Kruse to attempt to ruin her grandmother’s life’ – pictured 2015

‘Our client, Priscilla Presley filed a complaint over a year ago in which she alleges that she was the victim of a concerted effort by Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko (among others) to isolate her from her trusted advisors and dupe her into signing a series of agreements in which Kruse contends she gave them a majority interest in Presley’s own name, image, and likeness, in perpetuity, and that purportedly required Presley to get their permission before even accepting any offer of employment or otherwise.  

‘In an order on one of a series of motions that Kruse filed (and lost, one after the other) in a desperate effort to avoid facing responsibility for her actions, the Court found that, “if plaintiff’s allegations are true…it is classic elder abuse.”

‘After suffering a series of defeats in lawsuits in both California and Florida, Kruse and her co-conspirators are desperately and transparently employing the strategy of “the best defense is a good offense.”

‘It will not work. It is also evident that Kruse, Fialko and her new 4th set of attorneys are not happy with the rulings this past year by the judge handling the existing case against Kruse and Fialko by going forum shopping to try and go before a different judge.’

The statement added that Riley Keough ‘stands behind her grandmother 100 per cent and is equally disgusted with this latest, vicious attempt by Kruse to attempt to ruin her grandmother’s life.’

Elsewhere in the lawsuit Kruse and Fialko filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Stan Lee’s ex- business manager Keya Morgan – who was previously acquitted of theft charges against the Marvel icon – was accused of orchestrating Presley’s elder abuse claims against Kruse and Fialko.

'At her house the following week (before Lisa¿s funeral), Priscilla exclaimed, "I¿m the queen. I¿m in charge of Graceland", the suit claimed - Presley is pictured in January 2024

‘At her house the following week (before Lisa’s funeral), Priscilla exclaimed, “I’m the queen. I’m in charge of Graceland”, the suit claimed – Presley is pictured in January 2024 

The legal row first erupted in 2023 when Presley was sued for breach of contract by businesswoman Kruse – who said that she managed Presley’s business and personal affairs when she was nearly broke and had outstanding tax debts of nearly $700,000.

Presley denied these claims and in July 2024 sued for ‘financial elder abuse’ – claiming Kruse, Fialko, Vahe Sislyan and Lynn Walker Wright ‘preyed on her’ and stole over $1million from her – which was denied by their lawyers.

Presley allegedly first approached Kruse and Fialko in 2022 when she was in ‘severe financial distress’.

The new lawsuit claim Kruse and Fialko restructured her finances, negotiated settlements and increased her event profits from under $10,000 to as much as $50,000 per show.

The plaintiffs claim they formed several companies with Presley to ‘exploit her NIL [Name, image, likeness] and invested ‘large sums of money in merchandise, events, and marketing tied to Presley’s image to enhance her depleted value.’

The suit also alleges Presley falsely claimed ownership of her NIL, despite secretly selling the rights to the last name Presley and Graceland in 2005 for $6.5 million.

It was alleged she ‘never disclosed’ this to Kruse and Fialko and later claimed that she ‘forgot’ about the deal.

Morgan is accused of befriending Presley, threatening Kruse, and helping persuade Presley to sever ties with the plaintiffs by making elder abuse claims.

It was claimed Morgan contacted Presley after the settlement saying that he could get the rights to her name, image and likeness back from Elvis Presley Enterprises, which manages Elvis Presley’s intellectual property.

The suit alleges after the settlement in 2023 Presley ‘cut ties’ with Priscilla Presley Partners, ‘undermined their ventures, and began exploiting her NIL on her own, including high-profile appearances on NBC’s Christmas at Graceland,, comic conventions, and promotional events) without disclosing or sharing proceeds.

Priscilla and Lisa Marie are pictured with Elvis star Austin Butler at the 2023 Golden Globes

Priscilla and Lisa Marie are pictured with Elvis star Austin Butler at the 2023 Golden Globes 

Presley is also accused of taking funds from company bank accounts and closing them without authorization and diverting endorsement payments to herself.

Jordan Matthews, attorney for Kruse and Fialko, exclusively claimed to the Daily Mail: ‘Our lawsuit demonstrates for the first time where Priscilla got the idea to claim elder abuse.

‘We have thorough documentation to show that the idea came from Keya Morgan, who is now a co-defendant in this lawsuit, making him a serial comic book villain in what we intend to demonstrate is a real life tale of lives destroyed due to one woman’s desperation and greed.’

He added: ‘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.

‘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.

‘Our complaint alleges that Priscilla targeted Kruse and Fialko from day one, when she was in dire financial need, faced with mounting IRS debt and multiple lawsuits, even within her own family.

‘The complaint alleges that Priscilla’s relationship with her daughter was in ruins for decades and long before Kruse and Fialko were involved. Kruse and Fialko invested seven figures into rebuilding Priscilla’s brand, stabilizing her finances, settling her lawsuits, cleaning up numerous private family ordeals, and attempting to help Priscilla repair her relationship with her daughter. Priscilla has, in turn, smeared Kruse and Fialko with false lies and malicious campaigns.’

The plaintiffs are seeking more than $50 million in damages, including punitive damages, along with injunctive relief to stop Presley from using her name, image or likeness outside of the ‘agreed upon corporate structures.’

Elvis and Priscilla with daughter Lisa Marie in 1968

Elvis and Priscilla with daughter Lisa Marie in 1968

In court papers, which were filed in September 2023, Kruse said Presley had been ‘about 60 days away from financial collapse’ when she swooped in and got her affairs in order.

Kruse said that she and the actress began a company Priscilla Presley Partners in 2022.

Kruse told the court that she spent ‘a significant amount of money and time’ working on projects for Priscilla to capitalize on from publicity of the Sofia Coppola biopic Priscilla, which was released in October of 2023.

Priscilla’s lawyer Singer said in 2024 that the star ceased working with Kruse when she found out ‘Kruse and her associate were attempting to misappropriate Ms. Presley’s assets and were engaging in other acts of wrongdoing.’

In July 2024 Presley accused Kruse, Fialko, Sislyan and Walker Wright of financial elder abuse in a lawsuit, and ‘forcing her into a form of indentured servitude’ in a ‘meticulously planned and abhorrent scheme.’

Presley said she met Kruse in 2021 when Kruse ran a business selling Elvis memorabilia through an auction house.

Kruse posed alongside Presley in an August 27, 2021 Instagram post in which she advertised a September 4, 2021 luncheon in Beverly Hills, California.

The lawsuit claimed Kruse convinced Presley her former financial advisors were either ‘deceitful or incompetent’ – before allegedly duping her into signing contracts and forming companies which allowed her and her associates to get 80 per cent of her income – leaving Presley with ‘just 20 percent of her own company.’

Presley claimed the group left her with minority shares in companies they created which profited off her ‘name, image and likeness’. The lawsuit was also against Priscilla Presley Partners, LLC.

The lawsuit alleged funds from 2023 biopic Priscilla which starred Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny were also misappropriated and branded Kruse a ‘con artist and pathological liar.’

Presley also claimed her ex-business associates ‘torpedoed’ a deal for the star to get an ownership interest in a cosmetics company – but instead settled for a $300,000 upfront payment – which she says they put in their own bank accounts.

Elsewhere in the lawsuit Kruse and Fialko filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Stan Lee's ex- business manager Keya Morgan (pictured) - who was previously acquitted of theft charges against the Marvel icon - was accused of orchestrating Presley's elder abuse claims

Elsewhere in the lawsuit Kruse and Fialko filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Stan Lee’s ex- business manager Keya Morgan (pictured) – who was previously acquitted of theft charges against the Marvel icon – was accused of orchestrating Presley’s elder abuse claims 

The lawsuit claimed the associates were ‘setting up new accounts at their preferred banks (and poisoning the relationship Presley had for many years with her financial institutions), adding themselves to her bank accounts, transferring funds between accounts (and to their own personal accounts), and entering into sham, insider transactions for their own benefit.’

The lawsuit also claimed Kruse and associates took $40,000 out of an account for her son Navarone Garibaldi without authorization, tried to make deals related to the late Lisa Marie’s estate and fraudulently charged Presley for moving and storage expenses.

Presley sued Kruse for more than $1million in damages and wanted the contracts she signed with Kruse and the other defendants voided.

Legal representatives for Kruse and Fialko told the Daily Mail at the time: ‘The suit filed is a retaliatory lawsuit due to the one filed by Priscilla’s business partners last year.

‘We are confident that the facts will speak for themselves and justice will prevail. It saddens all of us who dropped our lives to provide aid to a woman who needed help and she is now attempting to use her celebrity status to ruin the lives of kind, hardworking people.’

A description on Kruse’s Instagram page, which has more than 356,000 followers, lists Kruse as an Entrepreneur and Director of Operations for the brand Kruse GWS Auctions.

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