Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Ending the Curses

See: Sumner's Swears

"Sumner Redstone competency trial thrown out by judge" by Emily Steel New York Times  May 09, 2016

LOS ANGELES — The lawsuit over the mental competency of ailing mogul Sumner M. Redstone was dismissed Monday, cutting short a trial that had transfixed Hollywood and Wall Street because of its lurid details and the potential impact on Redstone’s $42 billion media empire.

The court rejected claims by the plaintiff, Manuela Herzer, a former lover of Redstone’s, who said he did not have the mental capacity to make the decision in October that removed her from his health care directive. The judge appeared swayed by the videotaped testimony from the 92-year-old billionaire that was shown on Friday, in which he said he did not want Herzer in charge of his care, or in his life at all.

While the ruling brought this suit to an abrupt ending, the legal tussling and the potential for more salacious disclosures appear likely to continue.

Who gives a f***?

Pierce O’Donnell, a lawyer for Herzer, said he planned to appeal the decision and that Herzer has filed a $100 million suit against Redstone’s daughter, Shari, her adult sons Tyler and Brandon Korff, and a team of nurses and other employees of Sumner M. Redstone. The suit said that Shari Redstone was at the center of a “spy network” that manipulated, abused, lied to, and unduly influenced Sumner M. Redstone. That legal battle would be decided by a jury, rather than by a judge.

The dismissal is a clear legal victory for Redstone and, by extension, his daughter.

Yet there is no question that the court fight sullied both sides, industry observers said, with its thousands of pages of filings that included embarrassing and prurient allegations about Sumner M. Redstone’s obsession with sexual partners, incontinence, and demands to eat steak while on a feeding tube. Herzer was depicted as a gold digger who manipulated her relationship with Redstone for financial gain.

While the suit concerned his personal estate, it set off investor concern about Redstone’s position and corporate governance issues at the top of the media empire that includes CBS and Viacom, two of the world’s largest entertainment companies.... 

No concern here. The ma$$ media is rotted beyond belief.

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