EXCLUSIVE: Grieving Lisa Marie Presley may have to pay $180K to her fourth husband musician Michael Lockwood because he claims he's too poor to pay for his own attorney as divorce case looms
Grieving Lisa Marie Presley may have to pay $180,000 to divorce her fourth husband because he claims he's too poor to pay for his own attorney, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
Musician Michael Lockwood, 59, discloses in new legal papers that his income has been decimated by Covid-19, forcing him to represent himself in the couple's upcoming separation and custody trial.
He says Lisa Marie - left heartbroken after the shocking suicide of her son Benjamin Keough on Sunday - should pay his legal fees under Californian 'parity' rules that say divorcing couples should have access to similar resources to ensure a fair contest.
'Trial is imminent and I have no counsel and no experience in this arena,' Lockwood pleads in a July 2 filing, revealing the spiraling costs of 'hyper-litigation' have left him more than $700,000 in debt.
'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),' he goes on.
'If petitioner has access to funds to pay her counsel, then the Family Code requires an order for Petitioner to pay Respondent's attorney's fees.'
Lisa Marie Presley may have to pay $180,000 to divorce her fourth husband Michael Lockwood, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal
Lockwood says Lisa Marie - left heartbroken after the shocking suicide of her son Benjamin Keough on Sunday - should pay his legal fees under Californian 'parity' rules that say divorcing couples should have access to similar resources to ensure a fair contest. Pictured: Presley and her son's girlfriend Diana Pinto on Wednesday following her son's death
Lockwood, 59, discloses in new legal papers that his income has been decimated by Covid-19, forcing him to represent himself in the couple's upcoming separation and custody trial
Keough, 27, shot himself in the head in the early hours of Sunday morning at his mother's Calabasas, California home
Presley, 52, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, filed for divorce and custody of the couple's twin daughters Harper and Finley, 11, in 2016.
The split was acrimonious and in February 2017, she took her daughters into protective custody and refused Lockwood's claim for spousal support, claiming to have found images and videos of child pornography on his computer.
Meanwhile, Lockwood claimed Presley was 'coaching' her daughters to make these allegations, while also leveling substance abuse allegations against her.
Both Presley and Lockwood claimed the other parent put their kids in serious risk, leading to the upcoming court showdown.
The trial is still listed for July 27 although it seem likely to be postponed after Keough, 27, shot himself in the head at his mother's Calabasas mansion early Sunday morning.
Lockwood, 59, is Lisa Marie's estranged fourth husband, following her failed marriages to Danny Keough, Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage.
The silver-haired rocker tried previously to claim $263,000 a year in spousal support but LA Superior Court judge Dianna Gould-Saltman threw the demand out, saying the couple signed a watertight 2006 pre-nup agreement that was 'valid and enforceable in whole'.
The warring pair met in 2004 when mom-of-four Presley hired Lockwood as her musical director on $3,000 a week and he's worked with the likes of Fiona Apple, Carly Simon, Susanna Hoffs, and Salt-N-Pepa.
Presley, 52, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, filed for divorce and custody of the couple's twin daughters Harper and Finley, 11, in 2016. She has two other children from Danny Keough - Riley and Benjamin Keough. Pictured: Presley with her children
Lockwood - now engaged to a woman called Stephanie Hobgood – further reveals the massive financial toll of fighting a three plus-year court battle against the King's heir, stating in the documents that he owes $736,840 to his previous attorneys who withdrew from the case in 2018
But, in a new financial declaration obtained by DailyMail.com, he says he now earns just $1,000 a month and is suffering 'extreme financial hardship' because of the impact of Covid-19 on the music industry.
He lists his bank balance as minus $371 and says his personal assets are worth $2,500, while his outgoings include $2,900 a month rent and $2,500 in groceries and household supplies for him and his elderly mother Vivian, 77, from whom he's been forced to borrow money to pay debts.
Lockwood - now engaged to a woman called Stephanie Hobgood – further reveals the massive financial toll of fighting a three plus-year court battle against the King's heir, stating in the documents that he owes $736,840 to his previous attorneys who withdrew from the case in 2018.
His filing reveals he has already managed to get $160,000 from Lisa Marie to cover previous legal fees – but he now needs more to pay for the upcoming trial.
'Four years of litigation, numerous hearings spurred by baseless allegations against Respondent, several depositions seeking support for the baseless allegation and now a looming trial estimated to last a whopping sixteen days, in addition to consultation with numerous experts and evaluators probably led to a legal bill for Petitioner which far exceeds several years of Respondent's income put together, especially recently,' Lockwood pleads.
'Consequently, Petitioner's strategy is clear: Petitioner seeks to litigate Respondent out of custody because Respondent cannot afford counsel to litigate. Petitioner's hyper-litigation long ago emptied Respondent's bank account.'
The 'result is an inequitable disparity in access to funds and consequently legal representation' that the court should step in to resolve, he adds.
After news of Benjamin's suicide circulated Sunday, Lisa Marie's rep told DailyMail.com: 'She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life' . Pictured: Presley and Keough in 2015
Keough had been dating Diana Pinto (pictured together) for at least a year, with the couple sharing several loved up selfies to social media. Pinto was interviewed by police, with a neighbor explaining: 'She was pretty hysterical saying ''I can't believe it.'' She just kept swearing and saying, ''I can't believe it... I can't believe he would do that to himself''
DailyMail.com contacted both Lockwood and Lisa Marie's rep to find out whether the couple would agree to postpone in the wake of Keough's death but neither side has responded.
After news of Benjamin's suicide circulated Sunday, Lisa Marie's rep told DailyMail.com: 'She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life.'
Keough had been dating Diana Pinto for at least a year, with the couple sharing several loved up selfies to social media.
Pinto was home on Sunday night when Benjamin locked himself in a bathroom of the five bed, three-bathroom luxury property and took his own life.
DailyMail.com revealed that neighbors heard partying and then a woman screaming 'don't do it' at around 3.30am, several hours before police showed up.
Pinto was interviewed by police, with a neighbor explaining: 'She was pretty hysterical saying ''I can't believe it.'' She just kept swearing and saying, ''I can't believe it... I can't believe he would do that to himself.''
'She said, ''the family's going to hate me'' and ''they're going to blame me.'' I think she was feeling guilty for it happening.'
EXCLUSIVE: Grieving Lisa Marie Presley may have to pay $180K to her fourth husband musician Michael Lockwood because he claims he's too poor to pay for his own attorney as divorce case looms
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July 18, 2020
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