Hollywood actor John Travolta has been seen in public for the first time since being embroiled in a sensational courtroom battle involving the Presley family, which features wild and unproven claims about the parentage of his teenage son.
The Bombshell Allegations in a $50 Million Lawsuit
The 71-year-old star was photographed boarding a private jet at Westchester County Airport in New York, just days after similar sightings of actress Riley Keough, 36. His appearance follows the filing of a newly amended lawsuit that makes extraordinary claims about his family.
The legal documents, part of a $50 million breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by Priscilla Presley's former business associates Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, allege that Keough, Elvis's granddaughter, donated her eggs to Travolta and his late wife Kelly Preston. This alleged donation supposedly enabled the couple to welcome their son Benjamin, now 15, in 2010. If true, this would make the teenager the great-grandson of music icon Elvis Presley.
The filing, obtained by the Daily Mail and submitted on Tuesday, December 16, names Priscilla Presley and her son Navarone Garibaldi Garcia as defendants. It further claims that Keough's late mother, Lisa Marie Presley, had also previously donated eggs so that Preston could "get pregnant."
Denials and Third-Party Claims
The lawsuit attributes many of these explosive claims to alleged statements by third parties, primarily Lisa Marie's ex-husband, Michael Lockwood. According to the complaint, Lockwood, the father of Lisa Marie's 17-year-old twins, allegedly told Kruse that Preston "had been unable to bear her own children" and that the couple had previously used Lisa Marie's eggs.
However, when contacted by the Daily Mail, Lockwood flatly denied any knowledge of the allegations. "That just sounds crazy," he stated. "I have not heard anything about it." The complaint presents no medical documentation to support the egg donation claims, and it remains unclear if such donations ever resulted in a child.
The amended lawsuit goes further, alleging the Travoltas approached the Presleys again in 2010—a year after the tragic death of their eldest son, Jett, aged 16. It claims Travolta was seeking to "salvage his career" amid historical allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has long denied. The filing also alleges Lockwood claimed the Travoltas later decided against using Lisa Marie's eggs, reportedly not wanting "eggs with heroin" on them, in a cruel reference to her opioid addiction.
Broader Legal Battle and Furious Rebuttals
The lawsuit claims that, in exchange for her alleged egg donation, Keough was "given an old Jaguar and paid between $10,000–$20,000." It also references a handwritten note mentioning "CA fertility partners," "Ben Travolta," and "Kelly Preston carried baby," and cites a text calling Ben Travolta Priscilla Presley's "beautiful great-grandson."
The legal filing asserts the alleged arrangement required sign-off from the Church of Scientology and involved Priscilla Presley's oversight. It also accuses Garcia of later demanding a multi-million-dollar settlement and insisting he be the family's sole male musician, referred to as "the king."
An attorney for Priscilla Presley and Garcia issued a blistering response, calling the new allegations "outrageous" and "shameful." The statement accused Kruse and Fialko of having "no ethical line they are unwilling to cross" to cause pain to the Presley family after losing previous motions in the case.
Representatives for John Travolta and Riley Keough have not yet publicly commented on the allegations. A statement from Kruse and Fialko's representative said they were "heartbroken" to have to file the amended complaint and were confident "the truth will prevail."
The case continues, with the biological parentage claims forming just one part of a wider lawsuit accusing Garcia of breaching contracts related to business ventures involving Priscilla Presley's name and image.
