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Michael Lockwood, Lisa Marie Presley’s ex, has filed a new petition to become their daughters’ guardian ad litem amid the family’s battle of trust.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Lockwood, 61, said he should be appointed to represent twins Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood and Finley Aaron Love Lockwood, 14, in an upcoming hearing in probate court, scheduled for April 13. Attorneys for Finley and Harper filed a statement in support of Lockwood’s petition.
Lockwood states in the legal documents that he wants to be officially appointed as the twins’ guardian ad litem because “the minor is a beneficiary of a trust at issue in the probate court in the aforementioned case. The minor requires the appointment of a guardian ad litem to represent its interests in the proceedings.”
“There is no conflict over the appointment because the proposed guardian is not a beneficiary of the trust instrument in question,” added Lockwood, who welcomed Harper and Finley with Lisa Marie in October 2008.
Both Harper and Finley signed forms agreeing to Lockwood become their guardian ad litem. A Lockwood representative declined to comment.
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Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, and Riley Keough
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Lisa Marie, the only child of Elvis Presley and ex-wife Priscilla Presley, died in January at the age of 54 after suffering cardiac arrest. She is survived by mother Priscilla, 77, and daughters Riley Keough, Harper and Finley, the latter three of whom will inherit her estate. Lisa Marie was also mother to son Benjamin Keough, who committed suicide in July 2020.
Lockwood’s recent petition is the latest development in Lisa Marie’s ongoing trust battle, which erupted four days after the star’s memorial in January, when lawyers for Priscilla in Los Angeles filed a petition questioning the “authenticity and validity” pulled from a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s life. to trust.
The change had removed Priscilla and Lisa Marie’s former business manager Barry Siegel as co-trustees and gave control of the trust — the Graceland mansion and a 15 percent stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), which together reportedly worth $110 million. in 2022 – to Riley, 33, and Benjamin.
Priscilla, who claimed she was not aware of the 2016 amendment until after Lisa Marie’s death, argued that it should be overturned due to several factors, including Lisa Marie’s failure to notify her of the changes as required by the terms of the trust.
Michael Kovac/Getty Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough
In the most recent issue of PEOPLE, Lisa Marie’s friend claimed “there’s no question” what her wishes were: “Lisa wanted Riley and Ben to be the trustees” — and all of her children to be the beneficiaries.
As they continue to mourn the death of Lisa Marie, Riley and Priscilla barely speak to each other, according to multiple sources. A Presley family insider said, “They disagree.”
“I can assure you that in the last seven years of Lisa’s life, Lisa Marie has never discussed matters with Priscilla,” her friend insisted to PEOPLE, adding that before Benjamin’s death, Lisa Marie had “asked several times what it would take.” to buy back more interest in EPE.
“She wanted each of her four children to have five percent of the estate,” the friend said.
RELATED VIDEO: Inside Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough’s Battle Over Lisa Marie’s Trust: ‘They Don’t Even See Each Other’
Looking ahead, if the 2016 amendment is overturned in court, Priscilla and Riley would be co-administrators.
“Priscilla doesn’t want Riley to be in charge alone because then she has nothing to say,” the family insider said. “Meanwhile, Riley doesn’t want Priscilla to interfere.”
The Riley source added, “It’s a very sad situation. Riley is shocked that Priscilla is contesting the amendment.”
In a Feb. 3 statement, Priscilla claimed she acts with “integrity and love,” and a Lockwood source said the matriarch remains close to him to “be a part of her grandchildren’s lives.”
Ahead of the April hearing, sources said Riley is focused on her acting career — she stars in Amazon Prime Video’s new limited series Daisy Jones and the Six – and Elvis’ first great-grandchild. At her mother’s memorial, Riley’s stuntman husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, revealed that they had their first child in 2022.
