The ailing media mogul Sumner Redstone said he wants his former companion out of his life, repeatedly using expletives to describe her in videotaped testimony presented in court Friday. The 92-year-old billionaire, who is the controlling shareholder of Viacom and CBS, said he hated Manuela Herzer, who brought a lawsuit challenging his mental competence after she was ejected from his home last fall. In a halting 18-minute deposition taken at his Beverly Hills mansion on Thursday, Redstone repeatedly referred to his former live-in girlfriend as a “fucking bitch” and said she stole from him. “I want Manuela out of my life,” he said when asked what he wanted at the end of the trial, adding that he wished his daughter Shari to take over as his health care agent. Reporters and the public in attendance were cleared from the courtroom while Redstone’s deposition was played back as the trial got underway Friday.
A transcript was released afterward. Los Angeles Superior Judge David Cowan appeared swayed by Redstone’s testimony after viewing the videotape, describing it as “strong evidence.” He said he would rule on a defense motion to dismiss the case on Monday.
