Priscilla Presley Accuses Ex Associate Of Evading Service In $1 Million Fraud Lawsuit
Priscilla Presley and her ex-associate are still slugging it out in court in a six-figure lawsuit!
The widow of Elvis Presley is now accusing her former business partner, Brigitte Kruse, of avoiding being served the $1 million financial elder abuse lawsuit.
Priscilla Presley, through her attorney Marty Singer, accused Kruse and her other business associates of taking advantage of her finances by making her sign shady agreements.
Priscilla Presley Needs Time To Serve The Defendants' Court Papers
The 79-year-old demanded that the court give her additional time to officially serve Kruse and the rest of the defendants the papers as they have spent months evading the process.
Presley declared that she had initiated attempts to personally serve Kruse the papers at her last known address at the time of her request.
She continued that Kruse has been evading service for no valid purpose other than to avoid facing liability in the action. She added that she needed more time to track down new addresses or use the services of a private investigator to serve "these defendants outside of their last known (and current) addresses."
Per In Touch, Presley maintained that Kruse is aware of the lawsuit and has spoken publicly about the case, so it must mean she is intentionally avoiding being served papers.
The Businesswoman Filed The Lawsuit Three Months Ago
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Presley and her attorney submitted the filing in July accusing Kruse of financial elder abuse, among other claims. The 79-year-old described Kruse as a "con artist and a pathological liar." She added that they met for the first time in 2021 when she was selling Elvis' memorabilia.
However, Kruse's influence grew over time, and she took control of her finances, which forced her into a "form of indentured servitude" that saw her sign off on 80% of her income on deals with Kruse. The attorney explained:
"This action arises out of a meticulously planned and abhorrent scheme by the defendants in this action to prey on an older woman by gaining her trust, isolating her from the most important people in her life, and duping her into believing that they would take care of her (personally and financially), while their real goal was to drain her of every last penny she had."
Singer added that Kruse established a personal interaction with Presley and convinced her "that all of her former advisors were either deceitful or incompetent, and that she was leaving millions of dollars on the table as the result of their mismanagement."
Kruse And The Other Defendants Allegedly Moved Presley's Funds Into New Accounts
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In the July lawsuit, Presley claimed that Kruse and the others moved her money into their personal bank accounts and directed all profits from her business ventures and appearance to the same.
The suit continued, "Defendants withdrew $40,000 from the bank account of [Priscilla's] son, Navarone, for no legitimate reason."
Presley claimed the process was done without first getting authorization or even notifying [Priscilla] or Navarone of the intended withdrawal.
Presley and Singer also accused Kruse and the others of misappropriating revenue earned from her 2023 documentary "Priscilla" directed by Sofia Coppola.
The Defendant's Attorney Issued A Statement On The Lawsuit
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The Blast reported that a lawyer for Kruse and another defendant, Kevin Fialko, responded that "the suit filed is a retaliatory lawsuit due to the one filed by Priscilla's business partners last year."
The lawyer expressed their confidence in facts speaking for themselves and justice prevailing. They added that it was unfair for Presley to attempt to "use her celebrity status to ruin the lives of hardworking people" who offered her help when she needed it.
They thanked all their supporters for standing by them and reiterated that "the truth will come out by way of evidence and not rumors."
Kruse's Legal Team Claimed They Have Not Been Served
On July 18, the defendants also noted that they could not respond to the $1 million fraud lawsuit because Presley had not served them with the papers.
The lawsuit named Vahe Sislyan, Lynn Walker Wright, and Priscilla Presley Partners as defendants, in addition to Fialko and Kruse, who founded the GWS Auctions company. The legal team explained:
"We have alerted Ms. Presley's attorneys that we do not have a copy of this filing, but they have not responded."
Prior to their now bitter relationship, Presley once raved about working with Kruse's company to sell Elvis Presley's memorabilia in September 2021.
"I used to have a different opinion about these estate sales, but then as I got older, I realized that you have to pass these things down to someone who'll really appreciate them," shared the actress, excited to be a part of the process.