Court Halts Graceland Foreclosure, Elvis' Granddaughter Calls Paperwork 'Forgeries' The 13.8-acre estate was scheduled to be sold in a public foreclosure auction on Thursday. Presley's granddaughter and heir, Riley Keough, is fighting to save Graceland in court.
By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut
Key Takeaways
- A public auction for ownership of Graceland, Elvis Presley's famed estate, is currently on pause.
- Presley's granddaughter and heir Riley Keough claims the documents used to justify the auction were forgeries, per a new legal filing.
- She's fighting the sale with a lawsuit, viewed by Entrepreneur.
Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough is taking legal action against a company that advertised a public auction of Presley's famed Graceland estate — alleging that the documents the company used to justify the sale are forgeries.
The sale, scheduled for Thursday, May 23, was halted by a Tennessee court on Wednesday.
The judge said Graceland is a matter of public interest, unique to the state, and "well-loved," per Fox Business. The judge noted the case needed more time for discovery and for the defense to address Keough's claims of forgery.
Keough, now the owner of the 13.8-acre Graceland estate, filed a 61-page lawsuit last week against Naussany Investments & Private Lending over the attempted public auction of the historic property, where several of her family members are buried.
Elvis Presley on the grounds of his Graceland estate in 1957. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The filing details that eight months after Keough's mother, Lisa Marie Presley, passed away in January 2023, Naussany came forward with documents claiming Lisa Marie had borrowed $3.8 million from them in 2018 and used Graceland as collateral.
"These documents are forgeries," Keough asserts in the filing.
Riley Keough. Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Keough pointed out that one of the documents used language that went into effect two years after Presley supposedly signed it.
The notary listed on the document also confirmed that she did not notarize the document or had ever met Presley, per the filing.
Keough further alleges that "on information and belief," Naussany is not a real company but "appears to be a false entity."
Kurt Naussany, named in the filing as the person acting on behalf of the company, told NBC News on Tuesday that he left the firm in 2015 and should not be named in the legal document. According to Keough's filing, someone sent her legal counsel multiple emails in his name asking to collect the claimed $3.8 million debt or risk a sale of Graceland.
Related: This Is How Much Elvis Presley's Private Jet Just Sold for at Auction
The company has posted multiple public notices of the foreclosure sale this month and scheduled the auction for Thursday morning, at the front of the Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis.
After Keough requested a temporary restraining order, a Memphis judge froze the scheduled auction. The sale is now on hold.
Graceland is still open as a tourist attraction and museum in Tennessee and features Elvis' personal items and automobile collection, according to the Graceland website.
