Wednesday, April 06, 2016

As the Sumner Turns

There aren't many stories in the news that I follow as closely as the Sumner Redstone case--his former "companion" suing to challenge Sumner's mental capacity. This case has had all sorts of twists and turns, but to me the judge really caught the gist of it last time it was discussed in open court. The New York Times summarized it this way...

The judge also raised concerns about who — if anyone — was looking after Mr. Redstone. He questioned whether the relationship between Mr. Redstone and his daughter was as smooth as she had described in a court filing. He also said that it was perplexing that Mr. Redstone had named Mr. Dauman as his health care agent rather than his own daughter.

Mr. Dauman is Viacom's CEO, and Sumner is the chairman of the board. Shari Redstone (his daughter) is also on the board. Very weird indeed.

It was all due to come out in court on May 6th...a day I had actually marked on my calendar. But alas, the Redstone estate finally got wise. Even if they consider the former "companion" a gold digger, it's better to pay her off than publicly explain the incredibly weird arrangement. From this morning's New York Times...

Lawyers for the ailing media mogul Sumner M. Redstone have entered settlement talks over a lawsuit brought by a former companion who has challenged his mental capacity, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. A settlement would prevent the salacious dispute from going to trial, which had been scheduled for May 6 in Los Angeles Superior Court. It also would prevent a judge from deciding on the competency of Mr. Redstone, which could have set off succession plans for his controlling stakes in Viacom and CBS.

How much do you want, honey? How does a hundred million sound?