Judge Dismisses Ex-Companion’s Suit Against Sumner Redstone’s Daughter, Grandson
The federal racketeering case that Sumner Redstone's ex-companion, Manuela Herzer, brought against his daughter, Shari Redstone, and grandson, Tyler Korff, was dismissed by a federal judge nine months after it was filed.
Mr. Redstone, 95 years old, is the controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation. Ms. Herzer, his former girlfriend, lived in his Beverly Hills mansion for two years until she was thrown out and written out of his estate plan in 2015. In her lawsuit, Ms. Herzer claimed that Ms. Redstone and Mr. Korff conspired against her with Mr. Redstone's nurses and staff members in order to gain control of his estate and media companies.
Judge Philip Gutierrez ruled that Ms. Herzer didn't have standing to bring a suit claiming violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act—a law created to prosecute the mafia—and also dismissed her claim that Mr. Redstone's family violated the Electronics Communications Privacy Act. However, Judge Gutierrez stated that Ms. Herzer could file an amended complaint on the matter. This means that Ms. Redstone and Mr. Korff might still have further legal battles, separate from comparable litigation with another one of Mr. Redstone's previous companions. Additionally, Ms. Herzer has other pending litigation on similar issues in state court.
Mr. Korff's attorney, Dan Small, told The Wall Street Journal, "We appreciate the court's carefully reasoned opinion, and believe that this is a significant step towards ending Herzer's long pattern of abusing the judicial system with frivolous lawsuits and appeals."
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