Redstone Wins Fight With Ex as Judge Tosses Competency Suit

[WhiteTara]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-09/redstone-wins-fight-with-ex-as-judge-tosses-competency-suit

Sumner Redstone won his fight to be rid of a former girlfriend as a Los Angeles probate judge threw out her lawsuit alleging the 92-year-old media billionaire was mentally incompetent.

The ruling ends the case on the second day of a trial but may not avoid a further public airing of the infighting among the Redstone family, some of his former girlfriends, and the nurses who take care of the former Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. chairman. Within minutes of Monday’s ruling, Redstone’s former lover sued Redstone’s daughter Shari, her two sons and members of his household staff over claims they interfered with her expected inheritance.

The trial opened Friday with Redstone’s videotaped testimony in which he used expletives to describe his ex-girlfriend, Manuela Herzer, and said he wanted her out of his life. While the recording confirmed Redstone was in frail health and required help speaking, his wish for Herzer to have no role in his health-care decisions was clear.

“Redstone’s testimony has ultimately defeated her case,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Cowan said Monday in his ruling. “Though Herzer may have believed that Redstone would not be able to say anything, or be able to understand the questions, he did both.”