Monday, November 30, 2015

As the Sumner Turns

When you spend your life ruthlessly trying to squeeze every dollar out of the world (even at the expense of your happiness and those around you), you're bound to find yourself in a situation like this at the end of your life. From this morning's New York Times...

A former companion of the ailing media mogul Sumner M. Redstone, executive chairman of Viacom and CBS, challenged his mental competence on Wednesday in a detailed filing with the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Manuela Herzer said Mr. Redstone, who is 92, for weeks has been unable to “communicate reliably or competently manage his own health care” in a petition with the court’s probate division. The petition specifically asks the court to determine whether Ms. Herzer, who once had a romantic relationship with Mr. Redstone, was improperly removed on Oct. 16 from control of an advance health care directive that gave her authority over his health decisions.

Would it be unkind of me to suggest that quotation marks be used around the term "romantic relationship"?