A notary said that the signature on the document was not actually hers.
Elvis Presley’s home at Graceland won’t be up for auction on Thursday after all.
In a hearing Wednesday that lasted only about eight minutes, Counsel Joe Day Jenkins delayed the sale of Graceland, saying, “The notary swore that he did not authenticate Lisa Marie Presley’s signature on the deed of trust, which raises doubts about the authenticity of this matter.” Validity of signature.
Wednesday’s hearing in Tennessee was scheduled to determine whether a suspicious entity can go ahead with a declared plan to auction off the late singer’s Memphis estate.
Actress Riley Keough, Presley’s granddaughter, was trying to prevent a company called Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC from holding an auction outside the Shelby County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon.
Keough alleges that the company submitted fraudulent documents last September “purporting to show that Lisa Marie Presley borrowed $3.8 million from Nosani Investments and gave a deed of trust encumbering Graceland as collateral,” according to Keough. Court documents obtained by Memphis ABC affiliate WATN.
Keough is represented by attorneys based in Memphis and Jacksonville, Florida. Both attorneys declined to comment to ABC News. It is not yet clear whether Naussany Investments has an attorney.
Gregory Nosani of Jacksonville filed a one-page motion to continue, Jenkins said, and Jenkins denied the motion on Wednesday.
“The court will delay the sale as required because the property is considered unique under Tennessee law, and because it is one-of-a-kind, the loss of the property is considered irreparable harm,” Jenkins said.
“Graceland is part of this community, and is well-loved by this community and around the world,” Jenkins added.
ABC News obtained a copy of the motion after court on Wednesday.
“I believe that the allegations made against Naussany Investments & Private Lending are baseless and do not warrant a declaratory injunction or temporary restraining order,” the man identified as Gregory E. Naussany wrote.
“Having the opportunity to present a defense against the allegations made by Danielle Reilly Keogh, Trustee of the Promenade Trust, Naussany Investments & Private Lending is prepared to present evidence and arguments to demonstrate that the relief sought is not justified in this case,” he added. “I respectfully request that the court consider the motion to dismiss and rule in my favor.”
ABC News left a voicemail at the phone number listed in the proposal, but has not yet received a response. An email sent to the address mentioned in the document bounced.
Keough’s legal team claimed that signatures from Lisa Marie Presley on a promissory note and a deed of trust were forged. Court filings say the documents were “apparently admitted before Clerk Kimberly Philbrick in May 2018 in Duval County, Florida” but were never recorded in the Shelby County registry.
Court filings show that Philbrick, a registered notary in Daytona Beach, Florida, signed an affidavit on May 8 saying she never met Lisa Marie Presley and never notarized those documents.
Philbrick has not yet responded to requests for comment from ABC News.