Priscilla Presley faces $50M fraud lawsuit from business partners

Priscilla Presley It has been accused of creating multi-million dollar schemes that include fraud, concealment and exploitation of the death of her own daughter.

In a $50 million lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Priscilla’s former business partners Bridget Cruze and Kevin Fialco alleged that Elvis Presley’s 80-year-old widow made a calculated move at the final time of Lisa Marie’s life, claiming that she separated her daughter against her wishes.

Meanwhile, Marty Singer, Priscilla’s well-known lawyer, blamed the lawsuit as “shameful” and “shameful”, telling Fox News Digital that the charges were “malicious character assassinations.”

“Accusing a grieving mother of contributing to her daughter’s death is not a savvy advocacy. That’s disgusting,” Singer said.

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Priscilla Presley faces a $50 million lawsuit from a former business partner who pleads for fraud schemes that involve hidden sales of name and image rights. (Getty Images)

According to a lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital, Priscilla acted on January 12, 2023 shortly after Lisa Marie suffered cardiac arrest.

“With only 24 hours, Lisa had a cardiac arrest on Thursday, January 12th, and she was rushed to West Hills Hospital,” the complaint alleges.

But instead of paying respect Lisa Marie’s Medical Direction To “suspend her life,” the lawsuit alleges that Priscilla saw a window to regain control of Presley Estate.

“Priscilla rushed to West Hills Hospital and despite Lisa’s clear instructions to “extend her life,” Priscilla pulled the plug within hours of Lisa’s recognition,” the lawsuit stated, adding that Lisa Marie’s daughter and heir, Riley Kewu, has not yet arrived.

The lawsuit further alleges that Priscilla wasted no time leading the media response. According to the submission, she pressured Cruze to issue a carefully worded statement shortly after Lisa Marie’s death. Cruze and Fiarco argue that the prompt fire statement is part of a calculated effort to reorganize Presley as an imminent figure of the family.

The lawsuit alleges that Presley not only used their trust and financial investments, but also used Lisa Marie Presley’s tragic death in 2023 to regain power over Elvis’ real estate. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

“It’s a heavy heart that my beautiful daughter, Lisa Marie, has left us, that we have to share the devastating news,” her statement read.

She is also accused of instructing Kruse and Fialko to push press messaging, which rebranded her as the “Queen” of Graceland.

The allegation is one of several explosive claims in a $50 million lawsuit that Priscilla accused of fraud, breach of contract and reputational damage.

Kruse and Fialko claimed that Priscilla sold the rights to her own name, image and portrait (nil) 20 years ago and “forgotten” to mention it.

Their lawyer, Jordan Matthews, said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, “The real victim here is my client, invested millions of effort, invested effort to revitalize the Priscilla Presley brand, betrayed, money is on the table and falsely blamed after all personal and business issues have been resolved.

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Kruse and Fialko claimed that Priscilla first reached out to them in 2021. They allegedly spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars on revitalizing her brand, dealing with brokers, and restructuring her finances.

The new lawsuit alleges that Priscilla ignored Lisa Mary’s health complaints on Golden Globes night and removed her from life support despite prior orders. (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images of Warner Bros.)

But behind the scenes, Presley said she had already offloaded her NIL rights to Elvis Presley Enterprises for $6.5 million in 2005.

The lawsuit stated that when faced with the previous agreement, Priscilla repeatedly denied it and later said she forgot it when she was faced with evidence of it.

Kruse and Fialko also said they negotiated a $2.4 million payment for Priscilla in a high-stakes legal conflict with their granddaughter Keough. They also alleged that Priscilla cut them off, destroyed their reputation and filed a retaliatory elder abuse lawsuit.

“In our society, elderly abuse is a very serious issue,” Attorney Matthews said.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley pose with Lisa Marie, their only child a few days after birth. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

“Our complaints allege that Priscilla targeted Cruze and Fiarco from day one. She faced IRS debt and multiple lawsuits when she was exposed to disastrous financial needs. Even within her own family, Priscilla’s relationship with her daughter was abolished for decades before Cruze and Fiarco were involved.”

He said, “Kruse and Fialko have invested seven figures in rebuilding the Priscilla brand, stabilizing the finances, settling lawsuits, cleaning up the trials of many private families, and Priscilla attempted to repair his relationship with his daughter.

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Presley was accused of using the sudden death of her daughter as an opportunity, not a tragedy. (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images)

It was also named in the lawsuit Key amorganthe controversial former manager of Marvel icon Stanley, who was previously charged with elder abuse. Kruse and Fialko accused Morgan of leading Priscilla to make false abuse claims, threatening them directly, and taking their seats at the premiere of “Priscilla” at the Venice Film Festival.

Priscilla’s own lawsuit against her former business partner, filed last year, painted a very different picture.

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She claimed that Cruze and Fiarco had isolated her from longtime advisors, took over the bank account and signed more than 20 contracts within 30 minutes.

“If the plaintiff’s allegations are true…it’s classic elder abuse,” one judge ruled in a previous case.

However, Kruse and Fialko argued that the story of elder abuse was a lie and that Priscilla and Morgan were legitimate weapons used to silence and erase contractual claims. They want the court to order Presley to stop her from gaining her profit outside the company they formed, and they want to pay more than $50 million in damages.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.