And the vulture moves in for the kill

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64489807

On Monday, her mother Priscilla Presley filed a legal challenge to the validity of Lisa Marie's will. Ms Presley is disputing an amendment that replaced her as trustee, and gave control of her assets to Lisa Marie's children.

It is heading for the courts, the latest example of the kind of family feud that can erupt when someone in the public eye dies.

Lisa Marie's estate includes ownership of Graceland, Elvis' former mansion in Tennessee, which is now open to the public.

That means that, to an extent, whoever controls her estate will also have control over the legacy of an American rock'n'roll icon.

The two most common ways to dispute a will are to argue that a person lacked capacity to make changes to their estate, such as if they suffered from dementia, or if a person was subjected to undue influence, such as if a caregiver pressuring them to sign a document.

But proving those claims is not cheap or easy.

Challenging a will in court can cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in lawyers fees, although some lawyers will work based off of a percentage of the settlement.

With large estates, sometimes lawyers will offer to sue, knowing there is no legitimate claim, simply to pressure a quick settlement and get a cut of the deal.

"It's kind of like free money," said Mr Forster. "One thing I say to clients all the time - you can really sue for anything in this country."


Ah, Capitalism at its finest.