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| Sumner Redstone Lashes Out at Ex-Lover in First Day of Competency Trial | Sumner Redstone Lashes Out at Ex-Lover in First Day of Competency Trial |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LOS ANGELES — Inside a closed courtroom, Judge David J. Cowan and a handful of lawyers on Friday morning watched the media mogul Sumner M. Redstone fight to demonstrate his mental competency in a 30-minute video questioning. | LOS ANGELES — Inside a closed courtroom, Judge David J. Cowan and a handful of lawyers on Friday morning watched the media mogul Sumner M. Redstone fight to demonstrate his mental competency in a 30-minute video questioning. |
| Immediately afterward, reporters, who were barred from the room, hastily inspected a written transcript of the testimony. It showed that Mr. Redstone did not respond to some basic questions but was able to answer others. When asked what his birth name had been, for instance, he remained silent. The executive, who is 92 and in ill health, showed a glimmer of his well-known ferocity, with the conversation filled with profanity. | Immediately afterward, reporters, who were barred from the room, hastily inspected a written transcript of the testimony. It showed that Mr. Redstone did not respond to some basic questions but was able to answer others. When asked what his birth name had been, for instance, he remained silent. The executive, who is 92 and in ill health, showed a glimmer of his well-known ferocity, with the conversation filled with profanity. |
| In the first question, Mr. Redstone was asked who was Manuela Herzer, his former companion and romantic partner, who had brought the suit challenging his capacity. His response denigrated her with two obscene words. He repeated that description of her several times over the course of his testimony, in which lawyers for both sides asked him questions for roughly 18 minutes. | |
| When asked what Ms. Herzer had done to assist in his health care, he struggled to find words and failed to help an interpreter spell out an answer. | When asked what Ms. Herzer had done to assist in his health care, he struggled to find words and failed to help an interpreter spell out an answer. |
| On viewing the testimony, with its clear assertions about his distaste for Ms. Herzer, Judge Cowan expressed skepticism as to whether her legal team could overcome his current wishes. “Your burden now is a hard one,” the judge told a lawyer for Ms. Herzer, Pierce O’Donnell, in brief remarks as the public portion of the trial resumed. | On viewing the testimony, with its clear assertions about his distaste for Ms. Herzer, Judge Cowan expressed skepticism as to whether her legal team could overcome his current wishes. “Your burden now is a hard one,” the judge told a lawyer for Ms. Herzer, Pierce O’Donnell, in brief remarks as the public portion of the trial resumed. |
| He added: “I’m not sure we need to hear about all of these shenanigans that did or didn’t happen six months ago.” | He added: “I’m not sure we need to hear about all of these shenanigans that did or didn’t happen six months ago.” |
| The video came on the first day of the trial, in which Ms. Herzer sought to show that Mr. Redstone was mentally incompetent and under the undue influence of others when he removed her last October from an advance directive that would have given her authority over his health care. | The video came on the first day of the trial, in which Ms. Herzer sought to show that Mr. Redstone was mentally incompetent and under the undue influence of others when he removed her last October from an advance directive that would have given her authority over his health care. |
| The trial, in the probate department of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, has attracted widespread attention, both with its plethora of embarrassing details about Mr. Redstone’s love life and deteriorating physical condition, and with the questions it raises about his continuing competence to make decisions about his two big media companies, Viacom and CBS. He is chairman emeritus and controlling shareholder of both. | The trial, in the probate department of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, has attracted widespread attention, both with its plethora of embarrassing details about Mr. Redstone’s love life and deteriorating physical condition, and with the questions it raises about his continuing competence to make decisions about his two big media companies, Viacom and CBS. He is chairman emeritus and controlling shareholder of both. |
| As the trial opened, Mr. O’Donnell cast Shari Redstone, the executive’s daughter, as the central villain in a supposed conspiracy to deceive and manipulate him. | As the trial opened, Mr. O’Donnell cast Shari Redstone, the executive’s daughter, as the central villain in a supposed conspiracy to deceive and manipulate him. |
| “She established a broad intelligence-gathering” network inside Mr. Redstone’s home, “featuring a ring of spies,” said Mr. O’Donnell, in describing what he said was a yearlong effort by Ms. Redstone, then estranged from her father, to get control of his money and media properties. | “She established a broad intelligence-gathering” network inside Mr. Redstone’s home, “featuring a ring of spies,” said Mr. O’Donnell, in describing what he said was a yearlong effort by Ms. Redstone, then estranged from her father, to get control of his money and media properties. |
| In arguments before Judge Cowan, Robert N. Klieger, who represents Mr. Redstone, sharply dismissed the notion of a conspiracy led by Ms. Redstone or the various nurses and lawyers who surround the media mogul. | In arguments before Judge Cowan, Robert N. Klieger, who represents Mr. Redstone, sharply dismissed the notion of a conspiracy led by Ms. Redstone or the various nurses and lawyers who surround the media mogul. |
| Instead, he said the plaintiff, Ms. Herzer, had worked to remain in Mr. Redstone’s good graces, and to share his wealth, by weaving lies about other women with whom the media executive had become romantically involved. | Instead, he said the plaintiff, Ms. Herzer, had worked to remain in Mr. Redstone’s good graces, and to share his wealth, by weaving lies about other women with whom the media executive had become romantically involved. |
| Describing Ms. Herzer’s behavior as “classic emotional abuse,” Mr. Klieger sought to focus the case closely on issues related to the advance health care directive from which Mr. Redstone removed Ms. Herzer late last year, after breaking off his relationship with her. | Describing Ms. Herzer’s behavior as “classic emotional abuse,” Mr. Klieger sought to focus the case closely on issues related to the advance health care directive from which Mr. Redstone removed Ms. Herzer late last year, after breaking off his relationship with her. |
| On the same day Ms. Herzer was removed from the health care directive, she was also removed from Mr. Redstone’s estate plan, in which he had planned to give her $50 million and his $20 million Los Angeles mansion. | On the same day Ms. Herzer was removed from the health care directive, she was also removed from Mr. Redstone’s estate plan, in which he had planned to give her $50 million and his $20 million Los Angeles mansion. |