Legal Battle Rages Over Sumner Redstone’s Final Days

Vanity Fair graphic

Sumner Redstone no longer cares about the stock price of Viacom or CBS or even his prized tropical fish, according to a damning Vanity Fair article posted Monday.

According to The NY Post, the scathing piece by contributing editor William D. Cohan arrives as Redstone’s mental state is likely to come into sharp focus this week while lawyers for Redstone’s former girlfriend Manuela Herzer are set to share certain legal documents that a judge agreed to unseal Friday.

Herzer is suing to be reinstated as the 92-year-old’s main health care agent after she was booted from Redstone’s mansion and replaced by Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman.

Herzer, Redstone

Herzer lawyer Pierce O’Donnell said in a media statement last week that, once the documents are available, “it will become apparent to all that Sumner Redstone is a tragic victim preyed upon by those in positions of trust and confidence who are supposed to protect him. We eagerly await trial.”

Dauman has suggested that Redstone was “engaged and attentive” at an Oct. 8 meeting, while Herzer claims Redstone was simply gazing at the TV, reports Cohan.

Another Redstone gal pal, Heidi MacKinney, describes the Redstone of last October as “not fully aware of his surroundings or what was happening around him.” Redstone’s 93rd birthday approaches in May.

Separately, the article suggests that Redstone’s daughter, Shari, is unofficially in control of her father’s health care arrangements and appears to have control of the trust that will ultimately govern National Amusements Inc., the majority shareholder in both Viacom and CBS.

Redstone “seems to be hanging on by a thread,” according to Cohan.

Herzer claims, Redstone became obsessive about wanting to have sex. After his wife Phyllis initiated divorce proceedings, in 1999, he had gone on a dating spree, meeting with a slew of beautiful women, often with Herzer’s help. According to the onetime close friend, one of those women remained on retainer with Redstone, getting $5,000 a month at the gate to Beverly Park whether she saw him or not. In Malibu, Redstone relentlessly called out for her, demanding that she come over. But she didn’t answer her phone. Back at Beverly Park, ...Redstone continued to pine for her. She showed up, but “he can’t have sex, so it’s all in his head, right?” says the onetime friend. “How can a guy with a feeding tube who can’t move have sex? There’s no sex.”

The article is sure to fuel shareholder anger, since Redstone is still paid an annual salary of $2 million by Viacom and a base salary of $1.75 million at CBS, according to the most recent proxy statement. A new proxy statement is out next month and could show a change in fees paid to Redstone.