Celebrities
Lisa Marie Presley’s ex Michael Lockwood granted custody of twins amid family trust battle
Lisa Marie Presley’s ex-husband has won full custody of their two win daughters following her sudden death in January.
Lisa Marie Presley’s ex-husband has won full custody of their two twin daughters following her sudden death in January. Michael Lockwood and Lisa Marie Presley, the child of Elvis present and the sole heir to his estate, underwent a public divorce battle beginning in 2016.
Unfortunately, their financial and custody battles continue to play out even after Lisa Marie’s death. The 14-year-old twins have been living with Lockwood since January, and he will now maintain his full custody unless another family member challenges the ruling.
Lockwood filed a petition to become the Twins, Harper, and Finley’s legal guardian ad litem, back in March. This past Thursday, LA Judge Lynn Healey Scaduto granted the request, as Lockwood’s lawyer Scott Rahn said his client was “ready, able, and willing to protect their interests.”
During the hearing, Judge Scaduto asked if the musician had any preexisting relationships with the parties involved in the case. Rahn claimed that they were all on good terms.
“Lockwood has a good, collegial, familial relationship with all of the parties involved,” he said. “He is not only legally bound but also morally bound to protect [the twins’] interests.”
Lengthy contentious custody battle
It’s not known whether Lisa Marie left any provision for who would care for her daughters following her death. The pair filed for divorce in 2016 after 10 years of marriage and daughter over finances and ended up locked in a custody battle that was only dissolved after Lisa Marie’s death.
In March, Lisa Marie’s attorney, Gary Fishbein, told Judge Joseph Lipner the case should be dismissed as his client is “sadly no longer with us.” The judge has not yet officially granted the request for dismissal despite Lockwood’s custody win.
Why is Priscilla Presley contesting her daughter’s will?
In the meantime, legal battles still rage on within the family with Priscilla Presley currently challenging the legitimacy of her daughter’s will. Priscilla is challenging the 2016 amendment to Lisa’s 2010 trust.
Priscilla was once named trustee along with Lisa Marie’s former business manager Barry Siegel, but the 2016 amendment appointed Riley and Benjamin Keough, Lisa Marie’s son and daughter, as trustees instead.
According to court documents, Priscilla is questioning the validity and authenticity of the documents, claiming the signature is inconsistent and unusual and the amendment was never delivered to Priscilla.
However, Lisa Marie was not on good terms with ex-business manager Siegel at the time of her passing. In 2018 she sued Siegel, accusing him of mismanaging her finances.