Sumner Redstone’s granddaughter Keryn is joining the ongoing legal battle over the media mogul’s empire, blasting Redstone’s daughter Shari for her attempts to “totally isolate and effectively kidnap, brainwash, and take advantage of [her] grandfather.”
Keryn also repeated claims made by various Viacom board members that they have been blocked from seeing Sumner since Shari assumed control over his care.
“There is no way that a competent Sumner Redstone, acting of his own free will, would ever refuse to meet with his fellow directors who have been his close friends and allies and so loyal to him over many years,” she said in a statement.
“Manuela Herzer and I have also been prevented by Shari from seeing my grandfather. We are two of the persons who were the most devoted to his welfare and protecting him,” she continued.
Keryn, 34, issued the statement through attorney Pierce O’Donnell, who also represents Herzer, Redstone’s former companion and caretaker. She was banned from his home and removed as caretaker late last year.
“For as long as I can remember, my grandfather had done everything that he could possibly think of to prevent Shari from having any type of control or power over his companies, whether public or private,” she said. “This was no secret to anyone. I can assure you that Shari is the last person on the planet to whom my grandfather would entrust his healthcare if he were of sound mind.”
Keryn went on to claim that in all of her recent interactions with her grandfather, the latest being in February, that his mental faculties were gone and “he was unable to appreciate and understand what was going on around him.”
“I do not intend to let Shari get away with this outrage,” she concluded. “I will soon be announcing legal steps to join with the Viacom directors in our
Sumner Redstone recently removed company chairman, president and CEO Philippe Dauman from the seven-person family trust that holds an 80 percent stake in both Viacom and CBS. Since then, the in-fighting between Dauman/Viacom and the Redstone family has been nearly constant.
Note: A previous version of this story misidentified Keryn Redstone as Sumner Redstone’s daughter. TheWrap regrets the error.