Riley Keough prevails in court to stop Graceland auction — for the moment. Fraud question remains

Elvis Presley’s granddaughter landed a partial victory in court Wednesday when a Tennessee judge upheld a temporary injunction blocking an auction and foreclosure sale of the late singer’s famed Graceland mansion. Still to be decided is whether the note and deed of trust in question are fraudulent documents.

The ruling, confirmed by The Times, comes a day after actor Riley Keough obtained a temporary restraining order against the sale of the Memphis property by Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC, which she alleged in a lawsuit might not even be a “real entity.”

The sale had been scheduled for Thursday. Naussany Investments did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment sent to an email address listed on court documents. Keough’s lawsuit, which was reviewed by The Times, said Naussany Investments presented documents to the estate via the Los Angeles County Superior Court in September. Those documents alleged that Lisa Marie Presley, Keough’s mother, had borrowed $3.8 million from the company and “gave a deed of trust encumbering Graceland as security.”

The “Daisy Jones & the Six” star denied the claims, calling the documents “fraudulent” and “forgeries” in her lawsuit. “Lisa Marie Presley never borrowed money from Naussany Investments and never gave a deed of trust to Naussany Investments,” the lawsuit read.

The deed of trust presented by the company was “purportedly acknowledged” by Florida notary Kimberly L. Philbrick; However, Philbrick submitted an affidavit stating she had no role in the matter. “I have never met Lisa Marie Presley, nor have I ever notarized a document signed by Lisa Marie Presley,” Philbrick’s affidavit read. “I do not know why my signature appears on this document.”

Tennessee’s Shelby County Register of Deeds said Tuesday that it did not have any filed documents relating to a Graceland deed, according to broadcast outlet WREG Memphis, but a copy of a deed was attached in Keough’s lawsuit. Prior to Wednesday’s court hearing, a representative for Naussany Investments submitted a filing asking to continue the litigation, the New York Times. reported. Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins moved forward with the case, citing a lack of appearance by Naussany Investments representatives at the recent hearing and a need for additional evidence from Keough’s lawyers.

It was unclear when the next hearing in the case would be held. Hours after the court ruled, a person purporting to be a Naussany Investments representative submitted a statement that said the company intended to drop its claims on Graceland, according to the Associated Press, which was not able to immediately find new legal filings in online records.

Naussany Investments couldn’t be verified as a Missouri-based business by CNN, despite the outlet having court documents that gave the firm’s location as being in Kimberling City.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, which manages the Presley estate, told The Times in a statement Wednesday that it is conducting business as normal.

“As the court has now made clear, there was no validity to the claims,” the statement read. “There will be no foreclosure. Graceland will continue to operate as it has for the past 42 years, ensuring that Elvis fans from around the world can continue to have a best in class experience when visiting his iconic home.”
Keough was formally named the sole trustee of her mother’s estate — and, by extension, Elvis’ estate — in November after settling a legal dispute with her grandmother Priscilla Presley, Elvis’ widow.

Presley had challenged her daughter’s will after the singer-songwriter’s death last January at age 54, questioning the “the authenticity and validity” of a 2016 amendment that named Keough and her brother, Benjamin Keough, as heirs to her estate. Benjamin Keough died in 2020 at age 27. The family came to an agreement last May that gave Priscilla Presley burial rights at Graceland, a $1-million lump-sum payment and an advisory role relating to Elvis Presley Enterprises.