Riley Keough's Emotional Letter to Priscilla Presley Reveals Deep Family Pain Amidst Legal Battle

Riley Keough penned a deeply emotional letter addressed to her grandmother, Priscilla Presley, expressing her distress regarding the legal challenge she faced subsequent to her mother, Lisa Marie Presley’s, passing.

This correspondence, acquired by Us Weekly on Friday, September 5, was disclosed as part of an updated lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this week, amidst Priscilla’s ongoing legal skirmish with former business collaborators, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko.

According to the letter submitted within the court documents, Keough conveyed her profound sadness that her grandmother pursued legal action against her following her mother’s death. (Lisa Marie was the sole daughter born to Priscilla and Elvis Presley.)

"Regrettably, Nona, as you are pursuing legal action against me, I am compelled to defend my mother’s wishes both legally and publicly, a path I would not have chosen," wrote Keough, 36. "It is truly painful that after numerous years of my efforts to mend the fractured relationship between you and my mother and to unify our family, you are taking me, of all people, to court."

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Keough further asserted that she had "safeguarded" Priscilla, 80, from potential legal conflicts with Lisa Marie prior to her passing in January 2023 at the age of 54.

"I have shielded you from lawsuits initiated by my mother, frequently advocating on your behalf and always striving to keep everyone acting with affection," the letter states. "Even a few weeks before my mother passed, she contemplated suing you again, and you sought my assistance. I strongly advised her against it, which led to an argument between us. But as you know, she chose to heed my advice and not sue you."

Shortly after Lisa Marie’s death in 2023, Priscilla contested her daughter’s will, which designated Keough as the inheritor of the late singer’s estate. (The two parties reached a settlement in May 2023.)

An email, dated January 31, 2023, and included in the filing this week, partially addressed this contention.

“I must also convey to you that receiving calls about the will less than 24 hours after my mother passed, and getting emails from lawyers before my mother was even buried, was incredibly heartbreaking,” Keough communicated.

These personal communications were submitted as part of the legal filing as evidence intended to demonstrate that Lisa Marie had plans to sue Priscilla before her death, and that Keough’s intervention prevented this from happening.

Us Weekly has contacted Priscilla’s representative for comment.

Priscilla’s former business associates, Kruse and Fialko, initiated a lawsuit on August 11, alleging that Priscilla withheld medical treatment from Lisa Marie before her demise.

According to court documents acquired by Us Weekly, the plaintiffs accuse Priscilla of disregarding Lisa’s “explicit instruction to ‘prolong her life’” as part of an endeavor to “reclaim authority” over Elvis’ estate.

She “was aware that Lisa was in the process of taking steps to remove her as the sole trustee of Lisa’s irrevocable life insurance trust,” they further claim, asserting that Priscilla demanded that Kruse “issue a statement to the media” immediately following her daughter’s death “so she could control the narrative.”

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Kruse and Fialko are seeking over $50 million in damages, citing fraud and breach of contract. They also allege that Priscilla falsely accused them of elder abuse in a campaign to discredit them.

Priscilla’s attorney, Martin D. Singer, released a statement to Entertainment Weekly on August 13, labeling their complaint “one of the most disgraceful, absurd, scandalous, and baseless lawsuits I have encountered in my legal career.”

Singer informed the publication, “This is merely a sorrowful and malicious attempt to falsely damage the reputation of an eighty-year-old woman in blatant retaliation” for Priscilla’s previous lawsuit targeting Kruse and Fialko.