Michael Lockwood Is 'Ready, Able and Willing to Protect' Twins amid Lisa Marie Trust Battle, Says Lawyer
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Lockwood filed to be their legal guardian ad litem in March
Lisa Marie Presley's ex Michael Lockwood is looking to "protect" their twins Harper Vivienne Ann and Finley Aaron Love amid the family's trust battle.
In a Thursday hearing held in Los Angeles, Judge Lynn Healey Scaduto considered Lockwood's request to represent the twins in a trust battle regarding Lisa Marie's will. His lawyer, Scott Rahn, said that he's "ready, able and willing to protect their interests."
When Judge Scaduto asked if the 61-year-old musician had any preexisting relationships with the parties involved in the case, Rahn said that they were all on good terms.
"Lockwood has a good, collegial, familial relationship with all of the parties involved," he said. "He is not only legally bound but also morally bound to protect [the twins'] interests." (A source previously told PEOPLE that Lockwood wasn't invited to the funeral and his presence was "the last thing" Lisa Marie would have wanted.)
Lawyers for Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough had no objections to the request and the judge said she would issue a written ruling. The next hearing is scheduled for May 16.
Lockwood filed a petition saying that he wished to be appointed the 14-year-old twins' legal guardian ad litem in March. His reasoning was that "the minor is a beneficiary of a trust at issue before the probate court in the above-referenced case. The minor requires appointment of a guardian ad litem to represent her interests in the proceeding."
"There is no conflict regarding appointment because the proposed guardian is not a beneficiary of the trust instrument at issue," Lockwood, who welcomed Harper and Finley with Lisa Marie in October 2008, added.
Both Harper and Finley signed forms consenting to Lockwood being their guardian ad litem at the time.
Lisa Marie, the only child of Elvis Presley and ex-wife Priscilla, died in January at the age of 54 after suffering a cardiac arrest. She is survived by mother Priscilla, 77, and daughters Riley, Harper and Finley, with the latter three set to inherit her estate. Lisa Marie was also mom to son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in July 2020.
The change had removed Priscilla and Lisa Marie's former business manager Barry Siegel as cotrustees and gave control of the trust — the Graceland mansion and a 15 percent stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), which together brought in a reported $110 million in 2022 — to Riley, 33, and Benjamin.
Priscilla, who claimed she didn't know about the 2016 amendment until after Lisa Marie's death, argued it should be voided because of several factors, including that Lisa Marie had not informed her of the changes as required by the terms of the trust.
In a recent issue of PEOPLE, Lisa Marie's friend claimed "there's zero question" what her wishes were: "Lisa wanted Riley and Ben to be the trustees" — and for all her children to be the beneficiaries.
RELATED VIDEO: Inside Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough's Fight Over Lisa Marie's Trust: 'They Don't See Eye to Eye'
In a Feb. 3 statement, Priscilla maintained she is acting with "integrity and love," and a Lockwood source said the matriarch remains close to him to "be a part of her grandchildren's lives."
Ahead of the court hearing, sources said Riley is focused on her acting career — she stars in Amazon Prime Video's new limited series Daisy Jones & the Six — and Elvis' first great-grandchild. At her mother's memorial, Riley's stuntman husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, revealed that they had had their first child in 2022.
Lockwood addressed Lisa Marie's death on social media.
"We are all reeling from the sudden passing of Lisa Marie Presley, the mother of my two beautiful twin daughters Harper and Finley," Lockwood said in a statement to PEOPLE about Lisa Marie and his girls. "Nothing prepares us for such an unexpected tragedy. It is incomprehensible."
"The most important thing to me at this time is to take care of my daughters, making sure they always feel safe and loved," he continued. "Both of them have incredible spirit and they will carry our family's legacy on for the rest of their lives. Since they were born, Harper and Finley have brought me profound joy and I remain devoted to them. We ask for privacy at this incredibly difficult time."
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