Memphis Needs Graceland, Grizzlies To Work Together

Above, Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A dispute has arisen in Memphis, Tennessee that has led to a lawsuit by Elvis Presley Enterprises against the Memphis Grizzlies. The lawsuit is over a proposed concert hall or multi-use facility that EPE wants to build.

According to an editorial by the Commercial Appeal:

It’s hard to imagine how anyone might benefit from the lawsuit filed by Elvis Presley Enterprises against the Memphis Grizzlies. 

Its ostensible purpose was to challenge the clause in the Memphis Grizzlies’ FedExForum lease that protects the arena, a multipurpose sports and concert venue, from competition by other publicly financed facilities. 

Maybe EPE was maneuvering for a larger public subsidy for the arena it plans to build near Graceland, suggesting that it might drop its lawsuit if the public till can be tapped a little more? 

If it had a legal leg to stand on, that might be an understandable strategy. But the noncompete clause is as solid as an uncontested dunk. 

It essentially gives the Grizzlies organization the right to block the operation of any venue either financed with public funds or capable of seating more than 5,000 people or both.

The editorial urges both parties to cooperate with each other rather than fighting it out in court.

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