The lawyer common of Tennessee, Jonathan Skrmetti, mentioned Thursday that his workplace was wanting into a personal funding firm’s try and foreclose on Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former dwelling, after attorneys for Mr. Presley’s granddaughter sued to cease the proposed sale, accusing the corporate of fraud.
The announcement got here at some point after a Tennessee decide upheld a short lived injunction stopping the property in Memphis from going up for public sale this week as the corporate had proposed in court docket papers.
No attorneys appeared on behalf of the corporate, Naussany Investments and Non-public Lending LLC, on the Wednesday listening to.
Legal professionals for Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, the actress Riley Keough, have argued that the corporate seems to be a “false entity.” They’ve additionally introduced an affidavit from a notary public who has denied signing key paperwork the corporate has held up as proof that they’re entitled to promote the house.
In an announcement, Mr. Skrmetti mentioned his workplace would examine the scenario.
“There is no such thing as a dwelling in Tennessee extra beloved than Graceland,” he mentioned. “I’ve requested my attorneys to look into this matter, decide the complete extent of any misconduct that will have occurred and determine what we are able to do to guard each Elvis Presley’s heirs and anybody else who could also be equally threatened.”
A number of makes an attempt to achieve Naussany Investments by the e-mail addresses and telephone numbers listed for the corporate within the court docket paperwork haven’t been profitable.
A consultant for Graceland didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Thursday night time.
The weird case got here into extensive public view this week when a lawsuit surfaced that had been filed by Ms. Keough. The swimsuit reported that final fall, Naussany Investments filed papers in a California court docket claiming that Lisa Marie Presley — Ms. Keough’s mom and Mr. Presley’s daughter — had borrowed $3.8 million and put Graceland up as collateral earlier than she died in 2023. Ms. Keough’s swimsuit mentioned Ms. Presley had by no means borrowed cash from the corporate, and that the paperwork the corporate introduced as proof of her doing so have been fraudulent.
At Wednesday’s listening to at Chancery Court docket in Shelby County, Tenn., the decide, Chancellor JoeDae L. Jenkins, mentioned he wanted to proceed the case. He mentioned the continuance was based mostly partially on the truth that nobody confirmed up in individual to characterize the corporate in search of to promote Graceland, and partially as a result of he mentioned attorneys for Ms. Keough wanted to current extra proof.
The court docket additionally mentioned that it had obtained a submitting on Wednesday morning from a person named Gregory Naussany who had requested the court docket to proceed the case.
It was not clear when the following listening to would happen.
After the listening to, Jeff Germany, a lawyer for Ms. Keough, mentioned he had not had “any direct contact” with the defendants within the case. He declined to touch upon whether or not attorneys for the property had requested regulation enforcement to analyze the potential of fraud.
Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.
