Lisa Marie Presley might have to pay her ex-husband, musician Michael Lockwood, $180,000 in their ongoing divorce battle. Lockwood claimed in a recent court filing that he is not making enough money to pay his own attorneys due to the work stoppage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The documents were filed just days before Presley’s son, Benjamin Keough, died on Sunday at age 27.
“Trial is imminent and I have no counsel and no experience in this arena,” Lockwood wrote in court filings on July 2, reports The Daily Mail. Lockwood said the “hyper-litigation” during the divorce proceedings has left in over $700,000 in debt. He believes that Presley should pay his legal fees, citing California rules that couples should have similar representation during a divorce case.
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“Upon information and belief, Petitioner has an annual income well over one million dollars, while I currently have virtually no income whatsoever (I have some meager royalty payments that come in from time to time, but they do not total even one-tenth or one-twentieth of Petitioner’s income),” Lockwood’s documents read. “If the petitioner has access to funds to pay her counsel, then the Family Code requires an order for the Petitioner to pay Respondent’s attorney’s fees.”
Lockwood is Presley’s fourth husband, following marriages to Danny Keough, Michael Jackson, and Nicholas Cage. Presley filed for divorce and custody of their children, 11-year-old twin daughters Harper and Finley, in 2016. In February 2017, Presley took protective custody of their daughters and refused to play Lockwood child support. She accused him of having child pornography on his computer, while Lockwood accused Presley of coaching their children. He also accused Presley of substance abuse.
The divorce trial is scheduled to start on July 27. Lockwood asked for $263,000 in annual spousal support, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Diana Gould-Saltman denied this due to the 2006 pre-nuptial agreement the couple signed. The couple met in 2004 and Lockwood worked as her musical director.
In Lockwood’s new court papers, he claimed he is now earning just $1,000 a month due to the coronavirus pandemic’s decimation of the music industry. He said his bank balance is negative $371, and his personal assets are only worth $2,500. He also listed his monthly costs, which include $2,900 for rent, $2,500 in groceries and supplies for himself and his 77-year-old mother, Vivian. He claimed he still owes his previous attorneys $736,840, and Presley has only paid him $160,000 for his legal costs.
Keough, Presley’s only son and the grandson of Elvis Presley died on Sunday. His death was officially ruled a suicide. “Lisa Marie is completely heartbroken, inconsolable, and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter, Riley,” Presley’s representative said in a statement. “She adored that boy. He was the love of her life.”
