Elvis’ wife Priscilla Presley hits out at ‘outrageous and unethical allegation’ that her granddaughter Riley Keough, 36, is the biological mother of John Travolta’s youngest son, 15
Elvis’ widow Priscilla Presley has hit out at claims that her granddaughter Riley Keough, 36, is the biological mother of John Travolta’s youngest son.
The allegations appear in a $50m breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by Priscilla’s former business associates Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko.
The Grease star, 71, has been mentioned in a bitter Presley family courtroom war after a newly-amended lawsuit made sensational – and unproven – claims about the parentage of the actor’s teenage son, 15, with late wife Kelly Preston.
A statement made by Priscilla’s counsel read: ‘Brigitte and her co-conspirators have demonstrated that there is no bar too low, no ethical line that they are unwilling to cross in an effort to cause further pain to Priscilla Presley and her family.’
The explosive comeback continued: ‘These recent outrageous allegations have absolutely nothing to do with the claims in this case’.
Elvis’ ex-wife Priscilla Presley has hit out at ‘outrageous’ claims that her granddaughter Riley Keough, 36, is the mother of John Travolta’s youngest son (L-R: Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, Riley Keough in 2015)
John Travolta has been mentioned in a bitter Presley family courtroom war after a newly amended lawsuit made sensational — and unproven — claims about the parentage of his teenage son; (Kelly Preston (L) and John Travolta pose with their children Ella (R) and Benjamin in 2018)
The filing, obtained by the Daily Mail and submitted on Tuesday, December 16, names Priscilla and her son Navarone Garibaldi Garcia as defendants, and includes a series of explosive claims attributed entirely to alleged statements by third parties.
Among them, that Elvis’ granddaughter Riley, 36, allegedly donated her eggs to Travolta and Preston so that the couple could welcome their son Ben, now 15, in 2010 – which, if true, would make the teenager Elvis’s great-grandson.
It was also alleged that Riley’s late mother Lisa Marie Presley had also previously donated her eggs so that Preston could ‘get pregnant’.
Lisa Marie’s ex-husband Michael Lockwood – father to her 17-year-old twins Harper and Finley – is referenced repeatedly in the document as the alleged source of several of the claims.
According to the filing, Lockwood, 61, allegedly told Presley’s former business associates Kruse that Preston ‘had been unable to bear her own children, and Travolta and Preston previously used Lisa Marie’s eggs to get pregnant’.
The complaint does not present medical documentation supporting the claims, and it is unclear whether Lisa Marie’s eggs ever produced a child.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, Lockwood flatly denied any knowledge of the allegations attributed to him. ‘That just sounds crazy,’ he said. ‘I have not heard anything about it.’
A family tree of the Presley and Travolta families as Riley has been linked to Ben
The amended complaint also alleges that the Travoltas approached the Presleys again in 2010 – one year after the tragic death of their son Jett – claiming that Travolta was seeking to ‘salvage his career’ amid allegations of sexual misconduct made by other men, claims Travolta has long denied.
The filing further alleges that Lockwood claimed Travolta later decided not to use Lisa Marie’s eggs, allegedly stating they did not want ‘eggs with heroin’ on them – a reference to her reported opioid addiction.
Instead, the complaint claims, Keough allegedly provided her eggs so that Preston was able to welcome her and Travolta’s third child Ben in November 2010, when Preston was 48.
Travolta and Preston married in 1991 and shared three children: Ella, now 25, Benjamin, and their eldest son Jett. Jett died at age 16 in 2009 after suffering a seizure during a family vacation in the Bahamas.
The lawsuit claims Travolta’s youngest son is the great-grandson of the late Elvis Presley – pictured with daughter Lisa Marie and former wife Priscilla in 1970
Travolta marked what would have been his son’s 33rd birthday earlier this year, writing on Instagram: ‘Happy birthday Jett – I miss you so much! Love you forever!’
Preston later died in July 2020, two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
But the amended complaint does not stop there.
In exchange, the lawsuit alleges, Keough was ‘given an old Jaguar and paid between $10,000–$20,000 for the deal’.
Keough married Australian stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen in 2015, and they have two children: a daughter, Tupelo, born in 2022, and a second baby, born via surrogate in 2025.
The amended complaint also references a handwritten note containing the phrases ‘CA fertility partners,’ ‘Ben Travolta,’ and ‘Kelly Preston carried baby.’
It further cites a text exchange in which Ben Travolta is allegedly referred to as Priscilla Presley’s ‘beautiful great-grandson.’
The filing also claims that the alleged arrangement required ‘sign off’ from the Church of Scientology and involved Priscilla Presley’s oversight.
Preston gave birth to Ben in November 2010 when she was aged 48; (Preston seen seven months pregnant with Ben in September 2010)
Kruse and Fialko further allege that Lockwood wanted the purported information used ‘to orchestrate a settlement for him and his daughters’.
The lawsuit claims Garcia later ‘threw a tantrum,’ allegedly demanding that the plaintiffs keep Riley and Travolta’s son out of the press and insisting he be the family’s sole male musician – referred to in the filing as ‘the king’.
Garcia is also accused of allegedly demanding a multi-million-dollar settlement.
An attorney representing both Garcia and Priscilla Presley issued a blistering response to the allegations, telling the Daily Mail:
‘After losing motion after motion in this case, and unsuccessfully seeking to have Presley’s counsel of record, Marty Singer, disqualified from representing her in this matter, Brigitte Kruse, Kevin Fialko, and their co-conspirators have demonstrated that there is no bar too low, no ethical line that they are unwilling to cross in an effort to cause further pain to Priscilla Presley and her family.
‘In a completely improper effort to exert undue pressure on Presley to retract her legitimate, truthful claims, Kruse and her co-conspirators have also sued Presley’s son, cousin, and assistant.
The filing, submitted Tuesday, December 16, names Presley’s son Navarone Garibaldi Garcia and his mother as defendants, and includes a series of explosive claims attributed entirely to alleged statements by third parties; (Garcia and Presley in 2012)
‘These recent outrageous allegations have absolutely nothing to do with the claims in this case.
‘The conduct of Kruse, Fialko, and their new lawyers (they are on their fourth set of attorneys) is shameful, and it absolutely will be addressed in court.’
Representatives for Travolta and Keough have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Kruse and Fialko’s representative Jordan Matthews of Holtz Matthews LLP also provided a statement defending the amended complaint.
‘Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko are heartbroken that they have been forced to file their most recent amended complaint,’ Matthews said.
According to the filing, Michael Lockwood allegedly told Kruse that Preston ‘had been unable to bear her own children, and Travolta and Presley previously used Lisa Marie’s eggs to get pregnant’, which Lockwood denies (Lockwood and Presley in 2013)
‘They have been accused of horrific acts that are not supported by any evidence whatsoever. These accusations are especially painful given the enormous amount of work they performed to keep the Presley family together during an extremely difficult and divisive period of time.’
Matthews added that all family disputes were resolved following Lisa Marie’s death, claiming ‘every matter was settled, all parties were paid, and closure was achieved.’
‘This amended complaint is about revealing the truth, correcting the record, and providing evidence of the work that was done in good faith,’ the statement continued.
‘Ms Kruse and Mr Fialko remain confident that the truth will prevail.’
The biological parentage allegations are just one component of Kruse and Fialko’s broader lawsuit against Navarone Garcia, which accuses him of breaching contracts and allegedly interfering with business ventures tied to Priscilla Presley’s name, image, and likeness.
Garcia was sued just days after Kruse and Fialko filed a separate lawsuit against Priscilla Presley herself, in which they accused her of wrongdoing following Lisa Marie’s death.
Priscilla Presley has vehemently denied all allegations made by her former associates.
