Lisa Marie Presley's Ex Michael Lockwood Files to Be Guardian ad Litem of Twins in Trust Battle
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Lisa Marie Presley's ex Michael Lockwood has filed a new petition to become the guardian ad litem of their daughters amid the family's trust battle.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, which were filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday, 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, which is scheduled to take place on April 13. Lawyers for Finley and Harper filed a declaration in support of Lockwood's petition.
Lockwood states in the legal documents that he wants to officially be appointed as the twins' guardian ad litem because "the minor is a beneficiary of a trust at issue before the probate court in the above-referenced case. The minor requires appointment of a guardian ad litem to represent her interests in the proceeding."
"There is no conflict regarding appointment because the proposed guardian is not a beneficiary of the trust instrument at issue," Lockwood, who welcomed Harper and Finley with Lisa Marie in October 2008, added.
Both Harper and Finley signed forms consenting to Lockwood being their guardian ad litem. A representative for Lockwood declined to comment.
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Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
Lisa Marie, the only child of Elvis Presley and ex-wife Priscilla Presley, died in January at the age of 54 after suffering a cardiac arrest. She is survived by mother Priscilla, 77, and daughters Riley Keough, Harper and Finley, with the latter three set to inherit her estate. Lisa Marie was also mom to son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in July 2020.
Lockwood's recent petition is the latest development in Lisa Marie's ongoing trust battle, which exploded four days after the star's memorial in January, when lawyers for Priscilla filed a petition in Los Angeles questioning the "authenticity and validity" of a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie's living trust.
The change had removed Priscilla and Lisa Marie's former business manager Barry Siegel as cotrustees and gave control of the trust — the Graceland mansion and a 15 percent stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), which together brought in a reported $110 million in 2022 — to Riley, 33, and Benjamin.
Priscilla, who claimed she didn't know about the 2016 amendment until after Lisa Marie's death, argued it should be voided because of several factors, including that Lisa Marie had not informed 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 zero question" what her wishes were: "Lisa wanted Riley and Ben to be the trustees" — and for all her children to be the beneficiaries.
Now, as they continue to mourn the death of Lisa Marie, Riley and Priscilla are barely speaking, according to multiple sources. Said a Presley family insider: "They do not see eye to eye."
"I can assure you, in the last seven years of Lisa's life, she never discussed with Priscilla any business," her friend maintained to PEOPLE, adding that before Benjamin's death, Lisa Marie had "inquired on multiple occasions what it would take" to buy back more of a stake in EPE.
"She wanted each of her four children to have five percent of the estate," said the friend.
RELATED VIDEO: Inside Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough's Fight Over Lisa Marie's Trust: 'They Don't See Eye to Eye'
Looking ahead, should the 2016 amendment be voided in court, Priscilla and Riley would be cotrustees.
"Priscilla doesn't want Riley solely in charge, because then she has no say," said the family insider. "Meanwhile, Riley doesn't want Priscilla to butt in."
Added the Riley source: "It's a very sad situation. Riley is shocked Priscilla is contesting the amendment."
In a Feb. 3 statement, Priscilla maintained she is acting 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 court hearing, sources said Riley is focused on her acting career — she stars in Amazon Prime Video's new limited series Daisy Jones & the Six — and Elvis' first great-grandchild. At her mother's memorial, Riley's stuntman husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, revealed that they had had their first child in 2022.
