Sumner Redstone is ordered to have court-appointed guardian because of a speech impediment, weeks before ex-girlfriend takes him to court for cutting her out of his trust

• Sumner Redstone, 95, is the majority vote holder at CBS and Viacom
• In 2015, he removed his ex-girlfriend from his trust after throwing her out of his Beverly Hills mansion
• The woman, Manuela Herzer, sued Redstone, claiming he was mentally incapacitated at the time he amended his trust
• Redstone countersued, demanding Herzer give back $75million in gifts
• Redstone's grandson, Tyler Korff, asked the court to appoint an independent guardian
• The judge agreed, saying Redstone wasn't mentally incapacitated but did suffer from a severe speech impediment

Sumner Redstone, the controlling shareholder of CBS and Viacom, has been ordered placed under court-appointed guardianship because of his difficulty speaking. He is seen above in 2014 (left) alongside actress Megan Fox (right) in Los Angeles

Sumner Redstone, the controlling shareholder of CBS and Viacom, has been ordered placed under court-appointed guardianship because of his difficulty speaking.

The 95-year-old media mogul will be under the supervision of a guardian ‘ad litem’ - a legal term that means an individual who acts on behalf of another, usually a child or an incapacitated adult, in a lawsuit.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Cowan said he was appointing the guardian because Redstone has extreme difficulty speaking, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Samuel Ingham, III has reportedly been offered the guardianship, according to Deadline. 

In 2008, Ingham was appointed the guardian of Britney Spears after the pop star had a very public mental health breakdown believed to have been caused by substance abuse.

Redstone’s mental capacity is not at issue, the judge said.

Redstone is the majority owner of a trust, National Amusements Inc, which holds almost 80 per cent of voting stakes in CBS and Viacom.

The court’s decision on Monday will have no effect on Redstone’s control of the trust, which will remain valid until he either dies or is incapacitated.

If and when Redstone is deemed incapacitated, the trust would then be overseen by seven trustees, including his daughter, Shari Redstone, and his grandson, Tyler Korff.

It was Korff who filed the legal motion asking the court to appoint an independent attorney as guardian ad litem.

Redstone had communicated to the court that he supports ‘the Court's appointment of an independent guardian ad litem to represent my interests in this proceeding,’ according to Hollywood Reporter.

‘The judge appointed, with Sumner’s not opposing, a guardian ad litem solely based on Sumner’s physical disability in the form of Sumner’s speech impairment,’ Robert Klieger, Redstone’s lawyer, said.

‘He made no finding, and specifically did not find, that there’s any mental incapacity.

‘This does not trigger the trust. It has no implications whatsoever for National Amusements, CBS or Viacom.’

The family asked for the appointment of a guardian ad litem in the midst of a battle between Redstone and his former girlfriend, Manuela Herzer.

In 2015, Redstone amended his trust by removing Herzer as one of his heirs.

That same year, Redstone kicked Herzer out of his Beverly Hills mansion and removed her as his health-care agent.

Herzer subsequently sued, claiming that Redstone’s mental abilities were diminished, which would thus invalidate the amended trust.

Redstone’s lawyers have resisted attempts to have their client give a deposition due to his frail health.

Herzer’s attorney is seizing on that rationale, claiming that Redstone is incapable of understanding what is taking place in his name.

‘Tyler Korff’s motion for a guardian ad litem got the intended consequences - avoiding an exam by an independent geriatric psychiatrist,’ Herzer’s lawyer, Ronald Richards. said.

‘They knew if a [guardian ad litem] was appointed, then whether Mr. Redstone has capacity would be less important in the judge’s mind.’

‘The public and Ms. Herzer have been once again deprived of getting to the truth.’ 

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Sumner Redstone is ordered to have court-appointed guardian because of a speech impediment, weeks before ex-girlfriend takes him to court for cutting her out of his trust