Lisa Marie Presley's children barred from Elvis' 85th birthday party in Graceland amid bitter custody battle
Lisa Marie Presley recently filed emergency court documents so that her two youngest children could attend the 85th birthday celebrations of her famous rock star father, Elvis Presley, but it was denied by the judge.
The celebrations are supposed to take place between January 8 (which is The King's birthday) and January 11 on his Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee. However, Lisa's children are still not allowed to travel out of their home state of California thanks to her ex-husband Michael Lockwood. The former couple will be going to trial on July 20, 2020, to fight over custody of their children, visitation rights, and child support amounts.
Lisa's legal team from Brot Gross Fishbein filed court documents on January 7, that asked for permission to fly Lisa's children out to the Graceland birthday celebrations, but the Los Angeles County Court judge turned down the emergency request filed by her lawyer, Mark Gross.
Since Lisa is currently fighting for legal custody of her 11-year-old twin daughters Finley and Harper with her ex-husband Michael Lockwood, the stipulations that would allow them to travel out of the state are rather complicated.
According to a standing order in the bitter custody battle, Lisa's twin daughters are not allowed to travel out of California without the consent of the other parent or approval from the court. And Lisa's ex-husband Lockwood is refusing to give his permission to allow his twins to fly to Memphis, Tennessee, for the birthday celebrations.
Given Lockwood's stance, the Los Angeles County Court judge ruled that the celebrations did not constitute an emergency, and consequently denied the motion to let the children leave the state of California, leaving Lisa incredibly disappointed. She felt that her twins should have been allowed to attend a momentous event like their grandfather's 85th birthday party.
Elvis' four-day birthday celebrations kick off on January 8 with the Elvis Birthday Proclamation Ceremony, where Memphis and Shelby County officials will declare Elvis Presley Day. According to the Graceland website, the party will include "private tours of Graceland Mansion with Priscilla Presley, a birthday celebration concert featuring Terry Mike Jeffrey & the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and a fan-favorite — Elvis: Live in Concert featuring The TCB Band, and much more! A birthday celebration not-to-be-missed!"