A Tennessee court has halted the sale of Elvis Presley’s historic Graceland mansion on Thursday.
During an injunction hearing Wednesday morning in Shelby County Chancery Court in Tennessee, Chancellor JoeDae L. Jenkins said the rock legend’s granddaughter claims the existence of documents related to the case Thursday’s proposed auction of the property will not go ahead after a fraudulent bid.
The judge said he believed the property was unique to the state and must be allowed time for full discovery and for the defense to resolve allegations regarding a potential sale.
The judge noted the matter was a matter of public interest and Graceland was a well-loved part of the community.
Elvis’ Graceland mansion reportedly set for foreclosure auction, but family claims fraud: ‘It’s a scam’
Graceland Mansion, Elvis Presley (left) and Riley Keough (right) (Getty Images)
One company alleges that Ives’ only child, Lisa Marie Presley, took out a $3.8 million loan that was never repaid and pledged her estate as collateral through a signed deed of trust in 2018.
The company, Naussany Investments and Private Lending, which claims Lisa Marie never repaid the money before her death last year, plans to sell Elvis’ former home in Memphis and the land surrounding Elvis Presley Boulevard. bidder.
Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough, the sole heir to the property, has sought an injunction from the court to block the sale, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday.
Battle of Graceland: Photos of Elvis Presley and his famous family
Keogh said the lawsuit was a complete sham, with forged documents and claims filed by a fake shell company.
Keough’s attorney, Jeffrey Deutsch, filed a complaint with the court challenging the authenticity of the so-called trust deed. Germany filed an affidavit alleging that the so-called notary failed to notarize Lisa Marie’s signature on the so-called trust deed.
Judge Jenkins said on Wednesday this cast doubt on the authenticity of the signatures and the fraudulent nature of the trust deed.
He said he approved the ban because Graceland is considered unique under Tennessee law and losing it would be considered “irreparable harm.”
Judge Jenkins said Nosani would not be harmed by delaying trial on the matter until sufficient discovery was made and the defense had a chance to respond to the plaintiff’s claims.
The mansion is now a museum and is located in the Whitehaven area of Memphis.
Keough said in a 60-page lawsuit against Naussany Investments that her mother never borrowed any money from the company and that Presley’s signature on the deed was forged. Keogh also claimed that Naussany Investments was not a real entity.
“These documents are fraudulent,” the lawsuit states.
On this day in history, March 19, 1957, Elvis Presley made the down payment on Graceland
Lisa Marie Presley was born to Elvis and Priscilla in February 1968 and brought back to her hometown of Graceland. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie’s mother and Ives’ ex-wife, slammed the legal notice on social media earlier this week. “This is a scam,” she wrote on X.
Elvis Presley bought the mansion in 1957 for $102,500 and lived there until his death in 1977.
Lisa Marie inherited Graceland after her father’s death and opened it to the public as a museum in 1982. Personal keepsakes.
The property also displays a Convair 880 jet called the “Lisa Marie” that Elvis used in his heyday.
The Graceland grounds now include a resort hotel and a chapel, according to the Graceland House website.
It was designated a National Historic Landmark in March 2006.
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Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough denied claims Graceland was in foreclosure and pushed back on the legality of the alleged sale. (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)
About 600,000 tourists visit the hotel each year, according to the hotel’s website. Graceland has an overall economic impact of $150 million for the City of Memphis.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, Lisa Marie Presley died in January 2023 due to a small intestinal obstruction. Keogh became heir apparent and trustee of the Promenade Trust.
Ives and Lisa Marie are buried on the property.
“Visitors flock to Graceland to feel connected to an icon whose life remains shrouded in mystery,” Priscilla Presley previously said, according to Architectural Digest.
Fox News’ Samantha Daigle contributed to this report.
