Business associates of Priscilla Presley file a lawsuit against her, claiming fraud and seeking over $50 million in compensation.
Priscilla Presley, the former wife of Elvis Presley and a renowned public figure, is embroiled in a complex legal dispute with her former business partners, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko. The lawsuit, which began in 2024, has seen multiple lawsuits filed by both parties, each with serious allegations.
Timeline and Lawsuits
The legal saga commenced in July 2024 when Priscilla Presley filed a $1 million lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Kruse and Fialko, accusing them of financial elder abuse. In response, in August 2025, Kruse and Fialko filed a $50 million countersuit against Presley in the same court. This countersuit alleges Presley defrauded them and breached contracts related to their business partnership around Elvis Presley’s name, image, and likeness.
The Florida court ruled that Presley’s elder abuse lawsuit takes precedence, putting their original breach of contract claims on hold due to unresolved questions about the underlying agreements.
Allegations by Priscilla Presley (2024 lawsuit)
In her lawsuit, Presley accuses Kruse and Fialko of a “meticulously planned and abhorrent scheme” to exploit her financially by gaining her trust, isolating her from close contacts, and draining her assets.
Allegations by Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko (2025 countersuit)
In their countersuit, Kruse and Fialko claim Presley used them to promote her brand while having previously sold the rights to Elvis Presley’s name and image decades ago, thus defrauding them. They also allege Presley tried to profit financially from the death of her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in January 2023.
A highly controversial accusation in their suit claims that Priscilla Presley ignored Lisa Marie’s health care wishes and acted to hasten her death by “pulling the plug” on life support shortly after Lisa Marie was admitted to the hospital for complications from prior surgery. They support this claim by referencing Lisa Marie’s advanced health care directive, which expressed a wish to prolong life “as long as possible within generally accepted healthcare standards.”
They also assert Presley attempted to claim a larger portion of Elvis Presley’s estate through questionable means.
Legal Implications
The suits intertwine allegations of financial elder abuse, fraud, breach of contract, and wrongful actions related to medical care of a deceased family member—a rare and complex combination raising both civil and potentially ethical issues. The courts must determine the validity of the business agreements, the truth behind allegations of elder abuse vs. fraud, and examine sensitive claims about Lisa Marie Presley’s death and estate rights.
This legal battle heavily hinges on evidentiary proof of contracts, financial transactions, medical documentation (like Lisa Marie's health care directive), and witnesses to the parties’ conduct.
In summary, Priscilla Presley filed an elder abuse lawsuit in 2024 accusing her former business partners of financial exploitation, to which Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko responded in 2025 with a $50 million fraud and breach of contract countersuit that includes grave allegations about Presley’s handling of her daughter Lisa Marie's death and estate rights. The litigation explores complex intersections of elder abuse law, contract disputes, and family/medical ethics.
The lawsuit seeks over $50 million in damages. It is important to note that Presley is an actor who starred in the original "Naked Gun" franchise in the 1980s and 1990s, and she had a cameo in the new reboot. Priscilla Presley has recently regained special prominence due to Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film "Elvis" and Sofia Coppola's 2023 film "Priscilla," based on her memoir. The lawsuit comes over a year after Presley sued Kruse and Fialko for elder abuse.
- The legal dispute between Priscilla Presley and Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko began in July 2024 when Presley filed a $1 million lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accusing them of financial elder abuse.
- In response to Presley's lawsuit, Kruse and Fialko filed a $50 million countersuit in the same court in August 2025, alleging Presley defrauded them and breached contracts related to Elvis Presley's name, image, and likeness.
- In the countersuit, Kruse and Fialko claimed that Presley used them for brand promotion while having sold the rights to Elvis Presley's name and image decades ago, and they also accused Presley of attempting to profit financially from her daughter Lisa Marie Presley's death.
- The lawsuit has raised complex legal implications, intertwining allegations of financial elder abuse, fraud, breach of contract, and ethical issues related to Lisa Marie Presley's medical care and estate rights, with the courts needing to examine substantial evidence such as contracts, financial transactions, medical documentation, and witnesses to determine their validity.
