Priscilla Presley Slams Ex-Associate For Sabotaging Her Livelihood In $1 Million Fraud Lawsuit

Priscilla Presley is ramping up her legal fight, now accusing former business partner Brigitte Kruse of trying to cut off her financial resources as their $1 million fraud lawsuit intensifies.

The widow of Elvis Presley has been battling Kruse in court, previously claiming that Kruse was actively evading service of the financial elder abuse lawsuit. 

Priscilla Presley originally met Brigitte Kruse in 2021 when she was running an auction house selling Elvis memorabilia, but what started as a business relationship soon turned sour.

Presley is taking a stand against what she calls a calculated attack on her ability to earn a living. In a filing, the 79-year-old revealed that she made a dozen public appearances in 2023 but has no idea how much she actually earned because Kruse allegedly controlled her finances. 

She emphasized that her primary source of income comes from her speaking events, specifically her popular series "An Evening With Priscilla." According to In Touch, Presley alleges that Kruse and her associates have launched an aggressive campaign to undermine her livelihood. The document stated:

"Recently, in an effort to directly and improperly interfere with my ability to earn a living, [Brigitte] and [the other associate] (through the companies they created for their benefit) have begun barraging my contractual partners associates, personal assistants, and family members, with a series of baseless cease and desist letters, demanding that everyone in my life stop doing business with me or assisting me to earn a living."

Presley previously turned up the heat in her legal war against Kruse, accusing her of not only draining her bank account but also sabotaging her professional relationships, including with director Sofia Coppola.

Presley, who demanded $1 million in damages, reportedly disclosed that Kruse isolated her from her longtime team and tricked her into signing deals that funneled 80% of her earnings into Kruse's pocket. 

Legal filings obtained by In Touch reveal that Kruse's interference even impacted Priscilla's connection with Coppola, who directed the 2023 biopic "Priscilla." Presley had originally negotiated a $500,000 deal for the film in November 2021. 

The payment landed in her personal account on December 10, 2022, but just days later, Kruse allegedly siphoned off $60,000 for herself and another $60,000 for an associate.

The lawsuit further claims that in just seven months, from December 2022 to June 2023, Kruse and her associate transferred more than $620,000 of Presley's money into their own accounts.

The legal battle between Presley and her former associate took an unexpected turn last year when efforts to track down Kruse hit a roadblock. The Blast reports that back in September 2024, the mother-of-two accused Kruse of deliberately dodging service in the financial elder abuse case. 

Frustrated by months of unsuccessful attempts, Presley petitioned the court for an extension, arguing that Kruse and the other defendants had made it nearly impossible to deliver the legal papers.

She explained that her team had attempted to serve Kruse at her last known address but found no success. She believes Kruse's refusal to accept the documents is a calculated move to escape accountability in court.

With time running out, Presley asked for additional time to locate new addresses or even hire a private investigator to track down Kruse and the other defendants.

Presley's legal war against Brigitte Kruse started long before the battle to serve her legal papers. In a July 2024 lawsuit, Presley and her attorney accused Kruse of financial elder abuse, branding her a "con artist and a pathological liar."

The suit alleges that Kruse and her associates siphoned money from Presley's accounts, pocketing profits from her business ventures and public appearances. The lawsuit further alleged that:

"Defendants withdrew $40,000 from the bank account of [Priscilla's] son, Navarone, for no legitimate reason."

Presley maintains that the transactions were unauthorized and had no legitimate purpose. The lawyer also explained that Kruse gained control by convincing Presley that her longtime advisors were dishonest or incompetent.

As Presley pushed forward with her $1 million fraud lawsuit, Kruse and her legal team hit back, calling the case a "retaliatory" move against a prior lawsuit filed by Presley's business partners.

An attorney representing Kruse and co-defendant Kevin Fialko dismissed the allegations, insisting that "the truth will come out by way of evidence and not rumors."

The lawyer also accused Presley of leveraging her celebrity status to damage the reputations of 'hardworking people" who had once helped her.

The defendants further claimed they had not received official legal papers from Presley, preventing them from formally responding in court. Alongside Kruse and Fialko, the lawsuit also names Vahe Sislyan, Lynn Walker Wright, and Priscilla Presley Partners as defendants.

As the legal battle escalates, Priscilla Presley remains determined to fight back and reclaim control over her financial future.