Elvis Presley Graceland Sale Halted By Judge After Shocking Lisa Marie Twist
For devotees of The King, major news: the anticipated sale of Elvis Presley’s legendary Graceland mansion has been abruptly and dramatically. put on pause. The sudden interruption stemmed from a Tennessee judge ruling, one questioning the authenticity of several essential documents concerning the estate.
In short, the judge halted the sale after a notary testified that they had not notarized Lisa Marie Presley’s signature on a vital deed of trust; if the signature is indeed unauthorized, it may not be Lisa Marie’s at all.
Riley Keough’s Legal Victory
The judge’s ruling follows Elvis’s granddaughter, actress Riley Keough, filing a lawsuit to prevent the sale due to questions surrounding the validity of Lisa Marie’s alleged signature.
Following Keough’s suit, the judge put the brakes on Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion changing hands—all after an eight-minute hearing. However brief, this provided enough time for the judge to decide that the historic sale could not, for the time being, move forward.
Continued Fallout From Lisa Marie’s Business Decisions
Before this eventuality, the scheduled auction of Graceland was to take place outside the Shelby Country Courthouse; Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC initiated the auction, a company claiming Lisa Marie had borrowed $3.8 million from their coffers. Such loans are easier to come by when you put Elvis Presley’s famed and historic Graceland up as collateral, which is precisely what Lisa Marie did.
To make things even more heated, Keough’s legal team made the dramatic allegation that Naussany Investments’ documents were fraudulent, invalidated by forged signatures that were, in addition to being false, never properly recorded.
Battle For The Legacy Of Elvis
Memphis attorney Jeff Germany, Keough’s council, propounded that by losing Graceland, his client would suffer irreparable harm, particularly given the estate’s special status under Tennessee law. Even the judge in the case, JoeDae Jenkins, emphasized that Elvis Presley’s “Graceland is a part of this community” and of immense, emotional value to the world. Doubtlessly, the property abounds in historical and cultural significance.
But Jacksonville’s Gregory Naussany, Naussany Investment’s representative (if you couldn’t tell by the name), fired back with a one-page motion for continuance. Jenkins denied the motion.
Last-Minute Twist
Regardless, Naussany maintained that the claims against his company lacked foundation; the representative asked the court to rule in his favor, given their invalidity.
Given that the court did nothing of the sort, the allegations—that Lisa Marie’s signature is a forgery—would appear grave and weighty indeed.
Of crucial import, the controversy at the beating heart of the legal turmoil regarding Elvis Presley’s Graceland, boils down to one question: did Lisa Marie Presley, who passed away in January of 2024, meet with a notary who supposedly witnessed her signature in 2018, or not?
Ongoing Legal Battle
According to Kimberly Philbrick, the notary in question, who is registered in Daytona Beach, Florida, she did not, and Philbrick signed an affidavit stating as much. In Philbrick’s words, she not only never witnessed the signature or notarized the disputed documents–she also never met Lisa Marie.
Although the legal battle continues (perhaps a Netflix documentary will result?), and the mansion’s future remains uncertain, Keough has gained a reprieve. She can preserve her family’s legacy and keep Graceland open to the public, at least for now.
