A judge has blocked the auction of Elvis Presley’s former home, by a company that claimed his estate failed to repay a loan which used the property as collateral.
Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins issued a temporary injunction against the proposed auction of Graceland that had been scheduled for Thursday.
Mr Jenkins’ injunction essentially keeps in place a previous restraining order he had issued after the singer’s granddaughter Riley Keough filed a lawsuit to fight what she claimed was a fraudulent scheme.
A public notice for a foreclosure sale of the 13-acre estate in Memphis, Tennessee, posted earlier in May said Promenade Trust, which controls the Graceland museum, owes $3.8m (£3m) after failing to repay a loan taken out in 2018.
Keough, an actor, inherited the trust and ownership of the home following the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, last year.
Naussany Investments and Private Lending said Lisa Marie Presley had used Graceland as collateral for the loan, according to the foreclosure sale notice.
Keough alleged that Naussany presented fraudulent documents regarding the loan in September 2023.
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Neither Keough nor lawyers for Nassauny Investments were in court.
“Lisa Maria Presley never borrowed money from Naussany Investments and never gave a deed of trust to Naussany Investments,” Keough’s lawyer submitted in the lawsuit.
Kimberly Philbrick, the notary is listed on Nassauny’s documents, indicated that she never met Lisa Marie Presley nor notarised any documents for her, the court filing said.
Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 as a tribute to Elvis, five years after the King of Rock n Roll died in aged 42 in 1977.
He purchased Graceland Mansion in 1957 and lived there until his death.
It now draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and a large Elvis-themed entertainment complex across the road from the museum is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.
A woman has been left unable to walk after a piano slipped and dropped on her while she was helping a friend move the instrument.
Danielle Drummond, 28, who had recently relocated from Cleveland, Ohio, to Oregon for a fresh start, is now hoping for a scientific breakthrough after the ordeal left her needing both a wheelchair and a carer.
She told Cleveland-based broadcaster 19 News she had tried to stabilise the piano when offering to help last month, but her friend lost her grip.
“She dropped like a whole upright grand piano on me, and it severed my spinal cord,” Ms Drummond said.
“Now, I’m paralysed from the waist down.”
Ms Drummond has no family in Eugene, the city in Oregon where she lives, and also needs to find a permanent home, having been living in a van with her dog, Lotus.
Compounding her problems, she does not know how she would begin to move back to her family in Cleveland and transfer all her belongings and medical equipment.
Her sister has set up a fundraising page to “support future medical needs”, with the aim of raising $10,000 (£7,850).
“Our family thanks you for all your support, consideration, thoughts, love and prayers,” her sister Rosie Hayne wrote, describing Ms Drummond as “strong”, “wise”, and “down to earth”.
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In an update on the GoFundMe page, Ms Hayne added: “She wants to make it clear that she is not expecting to ever walk again.
“She has accepted the reality of her situation. But she has an amazing spirit and an overall positive outlook, focusing on what she can do.”
Ms Drummond told 19 News she hopes people going through similar circumstances “don’t give up”.
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An unknown number of people have died after a powerful tornado ripped through a small town in Iowa.
Dramatic pictures showed the destruction left behind in Greenfield, with police confirming there had been fatalities and at least a dozen injuries, without being able to provide specific figures.
The devastation came as multiple tornadoes rolled through the US Midwest.
At least three 250-foot-high wind turbines were toppled by an apparent tornado in southwest Iowa.
One turbine was in flames, with black smoke pouring from the bent structure.
Officials said most of Greenfield, with a population of about 2,000 people, had been destroyed, with rescue efforts continuing in an attempt to find survivors.
Buildings, including homes and businesses, were flattened, trees shredded, and vehicles thrown down the streets which were left strewn with piles of debris.
Sgt Alex Dinkla, a spokesperson for the Iowa State Patrol, said: “This tornado has devastated a good portion of this town.
“Sadly, we can confirm that there have been fatalities. We’re still counting at this time.”
He said Greenfield’s hospital was among the buildings that were damaged, which meant at least a dozen people who were hurt had to be taken to facilities elsewhere.
Residents helped each other salvage their belongings as they tried to come to terms with what had happened.