Sumner Redstone is declared incapacitated. Court doesn't rule on media mogul's competency

Media mogul Sumner Redstone is incapacitated and needs a guardian ad litem to protect his interests in a current legal case, a judge determined Monday during a hearing in a long-running court dispute about the health of the controlling shareholder of CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David J. Cowan once again stopped short of making a determination on whether the 95-year-old billionaire is mentally competent.

Cowan said his ruling on whether Redstone was incapacitated was based on an opinion by Redstone’s doctor on the mogul’s dysarthria, a severe speech impediment. His physical ailment was enough to justify the determination.

Redstone remains chairman of National Amusements Inc., the Redstone family investment vehicle that holds the controlling stakes in Viacom and CBS. Redstone, whose health has been deteriorating for the last seven years, is rarely seen in public. Instead, a battalion of nurses and caregivers tend to his needs.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-sumner-redstone-incapacitated-20181217-story.html