Priscilla Presley Accused of Cutting Off Medical Care for Lisa Marie
Priscilla Presley’s previous business partners allege that she removed medical support from Lisa Marie Presley prior to her daughter’s passing.
On Monday, August 11, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko initiated a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, asserting that Priscilla, 80, “pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted” to the hospital following a cardiac arrest in January 2023. Lisa, aged 54, was Priscilla’s sole child with Elvis Presley.
As per court documents reviewed by Us Weekly, the plaintiffs accuse Priscilla of neglecting Lisa’s “clear directive to ‘prolong her life’” in an attempt to “regain control” over Elvis’ estate. They assert that Priscilla was aware Lisa was taking steps to remove her as the sole trustee of Lisa’s irrevocable life insurance trust and demanded that Kruse “issue a statement to the media” immediately after her daughter’s death to “control the narrative.”
Kruse and Fialko are pursuing over $50 million in damages, claiming fraud and breach of contract. They further accuse Priscilla of making false allegations of elder abuse as part of a smear campaign against them.
Priscilla’s lawyer, Martin D. Singer, issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday, August 13, describing their allegations as “one of the most shameful, ridiculous, salacious, and meritless lawsuits I have encountered in my career.”
Singer further stated, “This is merely a sad and heinous attempt to unjustly damage the reputation of an eighty-year-old woman as blatant retaliation” for Priscilla’s prior lawsuit against Kruse and Fialko.
In July 2024, Priscilla sued Kruse, Fialko, and two other associates on 12 different counts, including financial elder abuse. Court documents reviewed by Us at that time alleged that the associates “carefully orchestrated” a scheme against “an elderly woman by winning her trust, isolating her from significant people in her life, and misleading her into believing they would care for her” both personally and financially.
Singer previously claimed that the defendants aimed to take control of Priscilla’s finances and thrust her “into a state of indentured servitude” where she would work while they would “reap the majority of any income she could earn in the future.”
The attorney for the plaintiffs, Jordan Matthews, remarked in a Wednesday statement to EW that Kruse and Fialko possess “video evidence and communications” confirming “there is no indication whatsoever of undue influence, coercion, or elder abuse, only a legitimate, well-documented business relationship.”
Singer asserted, “Accusing a mourning mother of playing a role in her daughter’s passing is not astute advocacy; it is an act of malicious character assassination that merits universal condemnation. These unfounded claims are entirely baseless, and we believe this case will be dismissed.”
After Elvis’ death in 1977, Lisa Marie inherited his Graceland estate and more. Following her passing, ownership was transferred to her daughter, Riley Keough, 36. (Riley is the first child of Lisa Marie and former partner Danny Keough. Their son, Benjamin, passed away in 2020 at the age of 27.)
After a dispute regarding Lisa Marie’s will, Riley and Priscilla ultimately reached a settlement out of court.
“My relationship with Grandma is good,” Riley remarked in a profile published by Vanity Fair in late 2024. “It has always been good. … There was some turmoil [following my mom’s passing], but now everything will revert to how it was. [Priscilla] is a remarkable woman and played a significant role in shaping my grandfather’s legacy and Graceland, which are very important to her. He was the love of her life.”
