Judge tosses out bid by Sumner Redstone's ex for new trial
A Los Angeles judge on Monday threw out an appeal by the ex-companion of media mogul Sumner Redstone asking that she be re-instated as the 93-year-old billionaire's caretaker.
In a 21-page ruling, Superior Court Judge David Cowan dismissed Manuela Herzer's petition, saying there was no new evidence to warrant a new trial and that he did not wish for the case to turn into a spectacle.
"The court... must consider what is in Redstone's interests as a patient, including protecting his dignity and privacy," Cowan wrote.
"The court found that a trial was contrary to those interests.
"This case is not theater and this court is not in the business of providing a spectacle; this is about protecting the health of a man in his twilight years in the privacy of his home."
Herzer has been battling to be reinstated as Redstone's caretaker after he stripped her of that title in October and cut her out of his will.
The high-stakes lawsuit she filed after her dismissal was thrown out in May after the judge heard videotaped testimony from Redstone in which he used expletives in referring to her and said he wanted his one-time lover and longtime companion out of his life.
Redstone was executive chairman of both Viacom and CBS before stepping down in February.
In his latest ruling, Cowan cast doubt on Herzer's motive, noting that shortly after he had dismissed her initial petition in May, she had filed a lawsuit against Redstone's daughter, Shari, accusing her of orchestrating her ouster from the mogul's entourage.
"The filing of that other case may somewhat undercut Herzer's professing herein to be interested only in Redstone's health and welfare," Cowan wrote.
The case, which has unfolded like a soap opera, has captivated Hollywood and Wall Street, with court papers laying out salacious details about Redstone's private life and his troubled relationship with his daughter.
Herzer's lead attorney Pierce O'Donnell said he planned to appeal Monday's ruling.