Elvis Presley Estate Being Sued by ‘Daughter’ for $130 Million
If you thought teen idol Justin Bieber‘s baby mama drama was nuts, wait til you hear this. A Swedish woman is suing Elvis Presley’s estate for $130 million for defamation and emotional distress, claiming she is Elvis’ “real daughter” — and that Lisa Marie Presley stole her identity.
The woman, Lisa Johansen, wrote a book in 1998 called ‘I, Lisa Marie: The True Story of Elvis Presley’s Real Daughter,’ in which she claimed that the King’s wife, Priscilla Presley, left the U.S. to protect Lisa Marie in 1977 following his death. Johansen says she’s struggled reclaim her own heritage and identity since, and has argued that she’s the rightful heir to Elvis’ estate — citing a skull and face analysis of the real Lisa Marie Presley as evidence. (That probably wasn’t a brilliant idea, considering that Lisa Marie is a spitting image of her father.)
The only method Johansen initially refused to use to prove her lineage? A DNA test.
Johansen’s been embroiled in litigation for multiple cases for quite some time. Because of her refusal to take the all-important DNA test, her publisher sued her for $50 million for damaging sales of her own book. Sounds like a smart cookie to us!
Johansen’s current case is mostly a result of her own actions. Billboard reports that after pressing British authorities to look into her alleged identity theft — and that she visited Graceland this year on the anniversary of the music legend’s death to chat up the staff. That didn’t sit well with the Presley clan, who enlisted the infamous Marty Singer to sic Johansen with a warning letter, writing that Johansen’s “malicious false claims and offensive wrongful conduct” would result in legal action if she didn’t cease and desist her shenanigans.
Johansen responded in what appears to be her typical illogical, irreverent way: by suing Elvis’ estate. Johansen filed her suit in Tennessee federal court, claiming that not only was she invited to Graceland, but that the estate and its representatives are harassing, defaming and intimidating her. Riiiiight.
On the bright side, Johansen may finally see justice (though she may not like the way it looks). According to Billboard, court documents show that she agreed to a DNA test through British authorities in 2010. C’mon, Maury, get on this!