Sumner Redstone has reached a settlement with his former companion Manuela Herzer, ending a three-year legal battle just days before a second trial over his estate plans was set to begin. Herzer will pay Redstone $3.25 million and agrees she has no say in decisions concerning him.
The former Viacom chairman’s lawsuit claims Manuela Herzer and Sydney Holland took advantage of him, leaving him with over $90 million in tax obligations.
It’s strike two against Manuela Herzer. A Los Angeles judge on Monday denied a request by Sumner Redstone’s former girlfriend for a new trial that could reinstate her as the ailing mogul’s health-care proxy.
Sumner Redstone-controlled National Amusements just dropped the big one: It says it has replaced five of Viacom’s directors, including CEO Philippe Dauman. The company has said that it would challenge such a decision at the Chancery Court in Delaware, where Viacom is incorporated.
Sumner Redstone’s former companion, Manuela Herzer, is renewing her legal effort to have Redstone declared mentally incompetent, comparing the ailing 93-year-old billionaire media mogul to the bumbling “King Lear” in the William Shakespeare tragedy.
Exclusives
The battle over the fortune of ailing Viacom and CBS Inc. mogul Sumner Redstone shifted to a new front Monday after a judge threw out the case over his medical care and both sides targeted each other with new $100 million-plus lawsuits.
New court documents reveal that Sumner Redstone’s former girlfriends, Manuela Herzer and Sidney Holland, received $150 million from him over a five-year period.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David J. Cowan ruled Monday that attorneys for the media mogul and Sumner Redstone’s ex-girlfriend and longtime companion will be allowed to solicit 30 minutes of sworn testimony from Redstone. The session will be conducted at Redstone’s home and videotaped.
Fissures within the famously fractured Sumner Redstone family widened Tuesday when his granddaughter asked to join the contentious court battle over whether the media mogul is mentally competent. Keryn Redstone, the 34-year-old daughter of Sumner Redstone’s estranged son, Brent, is petitioning the court to allow her to join the lawsuit in support of Redstone’s former companion, Manuela Herzer.
A judge reaffirmed the ruling ahead of a scheduled trial in a mental capacity suit filed by Manuela Herzer, the former companion of ailing media mogul Sumner Redstone.
Settlement talks between Sumner Redstone and ex-girlfriend Manuela Herzer have hit a roadblock, and attorneys now are busy gearing up for what could be a contentious trial. Attorneys representing the 92-year-old mogul and his former companion late last week were close to an agreement on the framework for a settlement that would have ended the lawsuit that challenged Redstone’s mental competency. But after details of the settlement leaked, negotiations fell apart.
A preliminary settlement between media mogul Sumner Redstone and his former companion Manuela Herzer would pay her more than $10 million in exchange for dropping her suit and ceasing contact with the 92-year-old billionaire, according to a person briefed on the matter.
Viacom boss Philippe Dauman will not be sitting down for a planned deposition today as settlement talks in the Sumner Redstone health care lawsuit are underway. There’s no deal right now but talks on an agreement between reps for Redstone’s side and the media mogul’s former companion Manuela Herzer are moving along, according to sources.
The decision is a major legal victory for Manuela Herzer, a former companion of Redstone, the former head of CBS and Viacom.
Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone will be evaluated Friday by a doctor hired by his ex-girlfriend in a legal brawl over who should have the power to make health care decisions for him.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled to allow a medical examination of Viacom and CBS chairman Sumner Redstone. In a hearing Friday, a judge did not allow a request by Redstone’s ex, Manuela Herzer, to have the 92-year-old executive deposed. But the judge did rule to allow for Redstone to be examined for one hour by Herzer’s medical expert.
