Sumner Redstone’s daughter and one of her sons are asking a judge to dismiss allegations in a lawsuit filed against them by a former girlfriend of the media mogul.
Manuela Herzer alleges Shari Redstone and her son, Tyler Korff, conspired with others within Redstone’s circle to interfere with her expected inheritance and invade her privacy.
The lawsuit asserts that Shari Redstone got the nurses serving her father at his mansion to turn him against Herzer, who was forced to move out of the billionaire’s home.
In her complaint filed May 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Herzer is seeking at least $70 million in damages from all the defendants, who also include Shari Redstone’s other son, Brandon Korff; Redstone’s house manager/driver; and several nurses.
In court papers filed this week, lawyers for Shari Redstone say that because her 93-year-old father is still alive, she could not have meddled with Herzer’s anticipated inheritance. They also say Herzer should pursue her allegations in probate court.
Shari Redstone’s lawyers additionally say in their court papers that Herzer’s privacy claims include no evidence that her conversations were secretly recorded.
In their court papers, Tyler Korff’s lawyers say he is a New York resident and California courts have no jurisdiction over him absent any facts he conspired with others to keep Herzer from receiving the money she hoped to inherit, evidence which the attorneys say does not exist.
Redstone kicked another former girlfriend, Sydney Holland, out of his home last September after accusing her of cheating on him. A month later, he evicted Herzer and revoked her ability to make health care decisions on his behalf.
Herzer later filed a petition asking a judge to find that Redstone lacked the mental capacity to remove her as his health care agent, but her case was dismissed in May after one day of trial testimony. She filed her lawsuit against the nurses and the others defendants later that day.
Redstone was executive chairman of both Viacom and CBS Corp. until stepping down in February.
Hearings on the Shari Redstone and Tyler Korff dismissal motions are scheduled for Sept. 7 and Oct 26, respectively.
–City News Service