Moonwalker sues children, alleging misuse of finances

ORLANDO, Fla. — Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin is suing two of his children and a former business manager, accusing them of misusing his credit cards, transferring money from an account and slandering him by saying he has dementia.

Aldrin’s lawsuit, filed earlier this month in a Florida state court, came a week after his children, Andrew and Janice, filed a petition claiming their father was suffering from memory loss, delusions, paranoia and confusion.

They asked for the court to name them his legal guardians, saying Aldrin was associating with new friends who were trying to alienate Aldrin from his family and that he had been spending his assets at “an alarming rate.”

Court-appointed mental health experts plan to evaluate Aldrin in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In April, the 88-year-old Aldrin underwent his own evaluation conducted by a geriatric psychiatrist at UCLA, who said Aldrin scored “superior to normal” for his age on tests.

“I also believe that he is perfectly capable of providing for his physical health needs, food, clothing and shelter, and is substantially able to manage his finances and resist fraud and undue influence,” said Dr. James Spar in a letter to Aldrin’s attorney.

In Aldrin’s lawsuit, the former astronaut asked a judge to remove Andrew Aldrin from control of his financial affairs, social media accounts and several nonprofit and business enterprises. Andrew Aldrin had been a trustee of his father’s trust. Buzz Aldrin said in the complaint that despite revoking the power of attorney he had given his son, Andrew Aldrin continued making financial decisions for him.

“Specifically, defendant Andrew Aldrin, as trustee, does not inform plaintiff of pending or future business transactions, removes large sums of monies from plaintiffs accounts, and continues to represent plaintiff in business and social capacities despite plaintiff’s repeated requests for such representations to be terminated,” the lawsuit said.

Aldrin accused his daughter, Janice, in the lawsuit of not acting in his financial interests and of conspiracy. Also named in the lawsuit are several businesses and foundations run by the family.

Aldrin’s oldest son, James, isn’t involved.

In a statement, Andrew and Janice Aldrin said they’re saddened by the “unjustifiable” lawsuit.