The Queen of Versailles vs. The King of Rock n Roll Elvis Presley - UPDATE Employee Speaks out (and it's not good!)

UPDATE

Electrical Fire at Westgate Las Vegas

Two people were treated for smoke inhalation after an electrical fire at the Westgate in May.

The fire started at 9:52 p.m. in an electrical room within the 12th floor of the hotel, Clark County Fire Department deputy chief Roy Session said.

Five engines, two ladder trucks, two rescues and two battalion chiefs initially responded to the hotel at 3000 Paradise Road, Session said. The fire was contained within the electrical room and quickly extinguished.

But even though the blaze was out, smoke had spread throughout the 12th floor.

Crews used electrical fans to quickly clear the floor of lingering smoke, and one maintenance worker and one hotel guest were treated for smoke inhalation on scene but not taken to a hospital, Session said.


The damages had not been determined as of 11:30 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Source Las Vegas Journal, May 11, 2016
(Interesting and scary at the same time, especially considering what the former employee told the paper Below. The hotel seems to be in bad shape and failing. Let's hope EPE gets the artifacts back before they are forever ruined by fire or mold.)

FORMER WESTGATE Employee gives honest details about the hotel and the exhibit

Mary Elizabeth Mancuso, one of the first staffers hired, said she quit five months later after a series of “disappointing” and perplexing moves by Westgate management.

“There was a lot of concern from the beginning,” said Mancuso, who moved to California.

Among the issues, she said: Customers complained they were told by Westgate personnel that the exhibit “did not exist;” the ticket office did not open until 1 p.m.; exhibit personnel were not allowed to hand out promotional fliers on hotel grounds.

When it rained, old pipes would leak. On hot days those pipes “would sweat,” which caused misting because of the air conditioning, she said. One day a pipe broke.

“There were days that we had no customers for hours,” she said. The busiest day in an eight-hour workday saw 90-some customers. The lowest daily attendance was in the 40s.


A spokesman for Westgate couldn’t be reached for comment late Tuesday. 

(Interesting! They have hardly made any comment or provided any defense! Fans should boycott the hotel as they hold Elvis hostage! That hotel would have been blown up YEARS ago if it wasn't for Elvis Presley! Also sounds like from the conditions, dampness etc, many of Elvis Presley's personal belongings and irreplaceable memorabilia will not be returned to Graceland in the pristine condition in which EPE has proudly maintained the artifacts. Megan)

Source: Norm Clarke - Megan Murphy

Previous Details:

The EPE lawsuit against Westgate which is holding artifacts and memorabilia as part of a leasing dispute.

The estate and business group is trying to get back hundreds of items it loaned to the much-hyped "Graceland Presents Elvis" attraction at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.

Westgate took control of the items last month when it shut down the attraction that includes a museum exhibit, wedding chapel and theater. The move came after the third-party operator, Exhibit A Circle, said it was quitting.

The lawsuit accuses the casino of holding the valuables hostage for leverage in its leasing dispute with Exhibit A Circle, noting the estate has been cut off from a security camera that allowed it to monitor the items. It's asking the court to order the items be returned and seeks punitive damages.

Elvis Presley Enterprises declined to comment further on its lawsuit but previously said Westgate aggressively seized the valuables without a legitimate legal basis. Elvis Presley Enterprises runs the Graceland attraction in Memphis, Tennessee.

Westgate's chief operating officer Mark Waltrip declined to discuss the case.

The latest lawsuit is separate from the legal dispute between the casino and Exhibit A Circle that is being reviewed by an independent arbitrator. The Elvis estate group says it's not involved but Exhibit A Circle's manager is also the managing partner of the company that owns a majority of Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Westgate maintains that Exhibit A Circle defaulted on its 10-year lease with the casino. Waltrip suggested the closure was caused by poor attendance but he said the casino spent millions of dollars outfitting the space and wants to recoup money owed as part of that leasing agreement. He said the company hopes to reach an amicable solution with all parties.

Exhibit A Circle previously said the casino violated the contract first but declined to elaborate.

NY Times


On Monday, Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. filed a lawsuit in Clark County District Court in an attempt to force the resort to return the artifacts.

“EPE has suffered an immediate and irreparable injury and damage because the actions of Westgate have jeopardized the provenance of the artifacts and subjected them to improper handling by individuals who have no archival experience so as to cause a diminution in value of property,” the complaint alleges.

Mark Waltrip, Westgate’s chief operating officer, has said the 28,000-square-foot exhibit was shuttered as a “protective action” because the tenant, a licensee of Elvis Presley Enterprises, was threatening to default on the 10-year contract.

The tenant is Exhibit A Circle, a Delaware limited liability company with offices in New Jersey.

Waltrip could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The 350 Elvis artifacts unveiled in April were on loan to the Las Vegas exhibition from the Graceland Archives.

Elvis Presley Enterprises, a Tennessee corporation, is represented in the litigation by Las Vegas attorneys Kurt Bonds and Matthew Pruitt.

According to the lawsuit, artifacts loaned to Exhibit A Circle for the Las Vegas display included Elvis’ high school yearbooks, his first gold album, his 1957 Harley Davidson motorcycle, a 1962 Lincoln Continental, jewelry and the first outfit worn onstage for Elvis’ first concert at the International Hotel in 1969.
According to the lawsuit, a dispute arose between Westgate and Exhibit A Circle, and arbitration is ongoing between the parties.

“In an effort to gain leverage” in the dispute, the complaint alleges, “Westgate decided to take unlawful possession of the artifacts pending resolution of the arbitration when notice was given that the artifacts would be returned to Graceland.”

The lawsuit claims Westgate then forcibly removed all employees, seized the property and shut off the video feed from the security cameras.

“Without the video, EPE cannot confirm whether the artifacts were damaged, switched out, or otherwise misused,” the complaint alleges.

Elvis Presley Enterprises is seeking compensatory damages and a court order requiring Westgate to turn over the artifacts, as well as punitive damages “arising from the intentional misconduct of Westgate.”

Review Journal Full Story

ORIGINAL STORY

A continuing feud between Westgate Las Vegas executives and its tenants who are licensees of Elvis Presleyes and Graceland has put Priscilla Presley and daughter Lisa Marie Presley unknowingly slap center in the midst of a messy business tangle. (Really has little to do with either)

This morning, Elvis Presley Enterprises through its representative David Beckwith told Vegas DeLuxe: “The Presley family is an aggrieved party caught in the middle of a disagreement between two other parties.

“Elvis Presley Enterprises is deeply concerned with the aggressive actions taken by Westgate Las Vegas due to a third-party dispute of which EPE is not a party.

“On Friday, Feb. 26, the Westgate seized, without any legitimate legal basis, hundreds of treasured Elvis artifacts on loan to the exhibition from Graceland Archives.

“At the same time, Westgate staff forcibly removed employees from the exhibition and disabled the video feed from security cameras.

“Despite our wishes to retrieve these artifacts and return them to Graceland, the Westgate is currently preventing staff from accessing the exhibition space to pack up and bring home these priceless pieces of history, which are owned by EPE and the Presley family.

“While EPE does not have a contractual relationship with the Westgate, we have no choice but to pursue all legal means necessary to ensure the return of our artifacts immediately.

“The artifacts are too important to be treated this way. The family would like them to be safely back at Graceland.”

Westgate Resorts COO Mark Waltrip told our colleague Editor at Large John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Sun this afternoon:

“Westgate has great respect for the family of Elvis Presley and hopes that we can come to a resolution over the considerable sums that we invested to bring Elvis to life at Westgate Las Vegas.

“We remain hopeful that the dispute concerning the sums owed to us can be resolved amicably in the near future without the legacy of Elvis Presley being tarnished.”

Source: Robin Leach Las Vegas Sun

BIM - Even Judge Judy will tell you, you can not hold items for past rent! I knew this deal was
T-R-O-U-B-L-E after watching the documentary, The Queen of Versailles. Elvis Presley was the best thing that ever happened to all of thee above! And the worst thing that happened to Elvis Presley, in my opinion!
EPE needs to be in TOTAL control of ALL exhibits, museums, and shops around the world to avoid this and worse!