Brigitte Kruse Responds to 'Retaliatory Lawsuit' by Priscilla Presley Who Claims She Was Victim of Financial Abuse

Priscilla Presley's ex-business partner Brigitte Kruse has responded to her claims of financial elder abuse.

On Monday, July 22, Kruse's legal team shared a statement with PEOPLE claiming the suit filed on Thursday, July 18 by Marty Singer on behalf of Elvis Presley's ex-wife —which alleged Kruse, among others, took advantage of Priscilla, 79, and stole $1 million — is "retaliatory."

“The suit filed is a retaliatory lawsuit due to the one filed by Priscilla’s business partners last year," the statement reads. "We are confident that the facts will speak for themselves and justice will prevail."

It continues: "It saddens all of us who dropped our lives to provide aid to a woman who needed help and she is now attempting to use her celebrity status to ruin the lives of kind, hardworking people."

They also expressed their gratitude for those who have supported them "during this difficult time."

"We will continue to focus on our business and look forward to our day in court. The truth will come out by way of evidence and not rumors. There will be no further comment at this time as we respect the judicial process," the statement concludes.

On Thursday, July 18, Kruse's legal team told PEOPLE they could not respond to the lawsuit "because counsel has not been served with a copy" of it.

"We have alerted Ms. Presley’s attorneys that we do not have a copy of this filing but they have not responded," they added.

In addition to Kruse, the filing also named Kevin Fialko, Vahe Sislyan, Lynn Walker Wright and Priscilla Presley Partners.

However, Priscilla alleged Kruse, the founder ofKruse GWS Auctions, controlled Priscilla's finances and forced her into a "form of indentured servitude" by "gaining her trust, isolating her from the most important people in her life, and duping her into believing that they would take care of her (personally and financially)."

The lawsuit claimed "they convinced Priscilla that all of her former advisors were either deceitful or incompetent. Because of that, "she was leaving millions of dollars on the table as the result of their mismanagement," the filing alleged.

"By isolating her and immersing themselves in every aspect of her life, the Defendants were able to fraudulently induce Priscilla into giving them power -

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of attorney, control over her family and personal trusts, and control over her bank accounts," the complaint alleges.

According to the filing, Priscilla, 79, met Kruse through mutual connections to discuss Kruse's business selling Elvis memorabilia. Allegedly, Kruse "quickly immersed herself" in Priscilla's life and by the end of 2021, they began working together.When Priscilla was unable to trust her long-time advisors, Kruse allegedly gained access to Priscilla's finances.

The actress/businesswoman's new advisors — whom Kruse selected — allegedly "falsely" told Priscilla she "would not survive without their ability to exploit her name, image, and likeness on her behalf," per the complaint.

Under the guidance of Kruse, Priscilla alleges she created companies where her associates received 80% of her income and was left with minority shares in the company. She also claimed in the complaint that money from the Sofia Coppola-directed biopicPriscillawas embezzled.

Priscilla is looking to have the license and operating agreements for the "sham companies" rescinded in order to block the defendants from having access to her financial accounts and hold them "accountable for their wrongful actions."Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Priscilla opened up to PEOPLEabout working with Kruse GWS Auctions, which included several pieces of Elvis memorabilia, in September 2021.

"I thought, 'Why not be a part of it?'" she said at the time. "I used to have a different opinion about these estate sales, but then as I got older I realized that you have to pass these things down to someone who'll really appreciate them."

Kruse added: "She's just such a wealth of experience and knowledge. You don't study and learn about Elvis without learning about Priscilla as well. Their names are synonymous."

In September 2023, Kruse sued Priscilla for an alleged breach of contract after they formed Priscilla Presley Partners, whichTMZ reportedat the time.

According to the outlet, Priscilla abruptly stopped all communication with Kruse around August 2023.

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