Company that tried to force sale of Elvis Presley's Graceland being investigated by Tennessee AG
The Tennessee Attorney Generalis opening a probe into the recent fight over Graceland after a judge paused an attempt by an alleged creditor to force a foreclosure sale and take the estate from Elvis Presley’s family.
An investigation has been opened intoNaussany Investments and Private Lending LLC, the company that claimed Lisa Marie Presley used the famed estate as collateral in a $3.8 million loan, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti's office announced Thursday.
Lisa Marie Presley died last year but her daughter, actor Riley Keough, has alleged that the deal never existed and that her mother's signature was forged.
Lisa Marie Presley was Elvis’ only child and inherited her father’s estate in 1977, when she was only 9 years old. Graceland is under a trust that encompasses all of the singer's remaining assets, which Keough inherited control of after her mother's death.
Skrmetti called Graceland one of Tennessee's "most iconic landmarks," which the singer's family has kept open to visitors for more than 40 years.
"I have asked my lawyers to look into this matter, determine the full extent of any misconduct that may have occurred, and identify what we can do to protect both Elvis Presley’s heirs and anyone else who may be similarly threatened," Skrmetti said.
A Shelby County Chancery Court judge delayed the sale of the former home of the king of rock ‘n’ rollWednesday, saying Keough was likely to prevail if her team could prove the alleged fraud.
Chancery Court Chancellor JoeDae L. Jenkins said that there would be no harm in delaying the sale of Graceland until the allegations could be properly explored.
Elvis Presley at his Graceland estate in 1957.Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
“The public interest is best served, particularly here in Shelby County, for Graceland is a part of this community, well loved by this community and, indeed, around the world,” Jenkins said
No representative of Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC appeared in court, and an NBC News search of public databases failed to turn up any record of the alleged lender. NBC News also searched for companies named Naussany or with the initials NIPL, to no avail.
Documents provide street addresses for the company in Jacksonville, Florida, and Hollister, Missouri, that match post offices. A third address is a post office box in Kimberling City, Missouri.
According to Keough's court filings, her lawyers were sent emails by a man named Kurt Naussany who was seeking to collect the $3.8 million and threatening to sell Graceland. NBC News received an email response from an account purportedly belonging to him denying that Kurt Naussany ever loaned Lisa Marie Presley money, saying he left the company in 2015.
The response also suggested contacting Gregory E. Naussany, “as he handled all loans with Ms. Presley.”
Gregory E. Naussany sent a fax to the Shelby County Court in response to Keough's claims, denying the allegations of fraud and saying that the company was "prepared to provide evidence and arguments to demonstrate the relief sought is not justified in this case."
NBC News was unable to contact Gregory E. Naussany at a phone number included in the response.
A request for comment to the email address Wednesday drew a response indicating that the company would drop the case after “consultation with lawyers.”
An email on Thursday requesting a comment on the investigation to the Gregory E. Naussany account was not immediately returned.
A representative for Graceland said Wednesday that the court's decision “made clear” that the estate is not in danger of changing hands.
“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," the statement said.
Jon Schuppe is an enterprise reporter for NBC News, based in New York.
Doha Madani
Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.