Lisa Marie Presley testified Monday that her estranged husband never balked at signing two versions of a postnuptial agreement in 2007 that barred him from seeking spousal support if the couple divorced.
The 50-year-old daughter of singer Elvis Presley — who died 41 years ago at age 42 — said Michael Lockwood’s only hesitation came after he called and said his attorney at the time had expressed concerns about the document.
“He was freaked out by what he was advised by his attorney,” Presley said. “I said I didn’t understand why.”
Presley said she never pressured him to sign the agreement by threatening to file for divorce if he refused to do so.
Asked by her lawyer, Gary Fishbein, if the spousal support waiver was important to her, Presley replied, “Very.”
Lockwood, a musician, producer and writer, listened to Presley’s testimony without displaying any emotion. Lockwood, the father of Presley’s 9-year-old twin daughters, met her in 2003 when she hired him as musical director for her band and for her first record. They got married in Japan in 2006.
Lockwood testified that she paid him $3,500 weekly and continued to do so even when he wasn’t performing any tasks for her so he would not work for anyone else.
The only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court in June 2016, and a non-jury trial of the issues surrounding the break-up of her fourth marriage is taking place before Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman.
Presley answered many of the questions posed to her by Fishbein and Lockwood’s lawyer, Jeff Sturman, by saying, “I don’t recall,” including when Fishbein asked her what year she wed Lockwood.
Presley said she sold guitars and musical items belonging to Lockwood after he ran up excessive debt on her credit card. She at first said the amount was in the thousands of dollars, but later said it was in the millions.
Presley said she did pay spousal support to her first husband, Danny Keough, but not to subsequent spouses Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage.
Lockwood testified that he never understood when he signed the two versions of the postnuptial agreement she presented him in July and November 2007 that he was giving up any chance of getting spousal support if they divorced. He also said he did not read the documents before penning his signature on them.
“Had I read this, I wouldn’t have signed it,” Lockwood said while glancing at one of the documents during questioning by Fishbein. “I think it’s unfair.”
Asked by Fishbein if he typically signed contracts without reading them first, Lockwood replied, “For what I do for a living, this isn’t something I can wrap my head around. I don’t understand how you understand it.”
“You’re not interested in knowing what’s in an agreement that can affect your marital relationships?,” Fishbein asked.
“Correct,” Lockwood answered.
Asked by Fishbein if he knew the extent of Presley’s finances, Lockwood replied, “I knew she had some wealth, I didn’t know how much.”
Lockwood is engaged to his girlfriend and plans to marry her after his divorce from Presley is finalized. Asked if he understood that any spousal support he could be awarded would be cut off under normal circumstances if he remarried, Lockwood said he was unaware what would happen.
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