Redstone-GalPal Settlement Talks Hit Snag

Sumner Redstone

Settlement talks between Sumner Redstone and ex-girlfriend Manuela Herzer have hit a roadblock, and attorneys now are busy gearing up for what could be a contentious trial.

According to The LA Times, attorneys representing the 92-year-old mogul and his former companion late last week were close to an agreement on the framework for a settlement that would have ended the lawsuit that challenged Redstone's mental competency.

But after details of the settlement leaked, negotiations fell apart.

“We have hit a snag,” Pierce O'Donnell, Herzer's attorney, said Monday. “We will see what happens.”

He declined to provide details of what caused the talks to stall.

Barring a last-minute deal, the case could go to trial early next month before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David J. Cowan.


The two sides were hoping for a settlement that would close the chapter on a tawdry lawsuit that has been a distraction for media company Viacom Inc. and an embarrassment for the Redstone family.

Herzer met Redstone in 1999, and they had a romantic affair, later becoming friends. As his health deteriorated, she helped care for him until Redstone ordered her out of his home and life in mid-October.

Herzer would have received $25 million to $30 million to end her claim that she should be returned to a position of power in Redstone's life. Until October, Herzer was designated as the person who would make healthcare decisions should Redstone become incapacitated.

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