Sumner Redstone's GalPal Loses Bid to Revive Health Care Case

Manuel Herzer, Sumner Redstone

Sumner Redstone has one less legal fight to concern himself with after a California appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 2016 decision to dismiss a lawsuit over who should make decisions regarding the 94-year-old's health care, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Redstone's former companion, Manuela Herzer, sued shortly after being kicked out of the billionaire's Beverly Park mansion in 2015, claiming he had been unduly influenced by those around him and lacked the capacity to remove her as the person in control of his health care directive.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Cowan in May 2016 dismissed Herzer's case mid-trial, after finding that the mogul's video testimony made it clear he had strong feelings about his former friend and it wasn't appropriate for her to regain control of his care.

"Redstone made crystal clear at his deposition that the reason he did not want Herzer as his agent was that he had kicked her out of his home," the judge wrote in his decision. "He did not trust her because he believed she had lied to him and stolen money from him. He also recalled what she had lied to him about. The Court can think of no more rational reason to change one's agent."

Herzer moved for a new trial, but Cowan rejected her motion. California's 2nd District Court of Appeal on Tuesday upheld that ruling and the dismissal, finding Cowan was correct that "the proceeding was not reasonably necessary to protect Redstone's interests."

Several other legal battles involving the mogul's former companions are still pending.