A California judge on Monday dismissed the case brought by former caregiver and housemate Manuela Herzer, who argued that Redstone was incompetent last fall when he made a decision to evict her and excise her from his will, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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Saying that he had been persuaded by a videotaped deposition of Redstone, 92, who is the chairman emeritus and controlling shareholder of both CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc., Cowan stopped the proceedings and tentatively ruled in Redstone’s favor, the Los Angeles Times (sub. req.) reports.
“The court has now heard directly from Redstone that he lost trust in Herzer, does not want her in his life and instead wants his daughter Shari to look after him if necessary”, the judge’s ruling reads.
Mr Redstone’s lawyers said Ms Herzer, 52, manipulated and emotionally abused the aging billionaire while trying to isolate him from his family.
Cowan said there were no legal grounds “not to follow his stated wishes”.
Manuela Herzer filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court in November past year. Recently, Shari Redstone assumed the role of health-care agent for her father, with the authority over whether, for instance, he should be fed or hydrated if he himself can no longer make his desires known. O’Donnell has said Redstone was generous toward Herzer and paid her tens of millions of dollars over the years.
Herzer had contended that Redstone lacked the mental capacity to expel her from his home past year. Redstone told him during the exam that Herzer stole $40 million but he wasn’t able to elaborate, Read said, and acknowledged his money was managed by responsible people in Boston. Herzer and another former Redstone girlfriend, Sydney Holland, reportedly collectively received some $150 million in gifts from Redstone between 2010 and 2015, according to his lawyers.
Herzer’s attorney Pierce O’Donnell didn’t put up much of a fight in the courtroom – but in a press conference outside he announced a massive counter-attack. She’s also the president of National Amusements, a privately-held company that owns controlling stakes in CBS and Viacom. Herzer met Redstone at a dinner party in 1999, when he was between wives, and they rekindled their friendship in 2009 after his divorce from his second wife.
Cowan didn’t rule on Redstone’s mental capacity or whether he suffered undue influence.
Trial witnesses would have included Dauman, who was named Redstone’s health-care agent in October, and Shari Redstone, with whom the media mogul has had a rocky relationship. She described the media mogul, who is known for his fiery temper, as a “living ghost”.
The suit further states that Shari Redsone used her father’s staff “to carry out her insidious plan and then resorting literally to espionage, bribery, an illegal eviction by force and deceit to get her way”.
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“I am grateful to the court for putting an end to this long ordeal”, Shari Redstone said in a statement.
