Signs of the times
Viacom Executive Chairman Sumner Redstone’s signature has changed markedly over the years, deteriorating to the point that some critics charge it has recently been forged.
The battle for control of Viacom resumes Thursday in a small Massachusetts courtroom 210 miles from the media giant’s Manhattan headquarters.
Judge George Phelan is expected to decide whether a move by certain Viacom board members to probe founder Sumner Redstone’s mental capabilities should play out in his courtroom — or in a Los Angeles court closer to the ailing mogul’s home.
While Redstone’s mental state is at the center of the fight — whether he had the capacity to oust Chief Executive Philippe Dauman and others from the Viacom board — one piece of evidence that could come into play is the mogul’s signature.
In legal papers filed Wednesday, Dauman’s legal team argues that Redstone is a “ghost.”
Redstone’s signatures (see above) have certainly deteriorated over the years — along with his health.
Last year, in a separate legal battle, Redstone’s former gal pal Manuela Herzer claimed in court papers that the mogul’s signature was a forgery.
A Herzer-hired handwriting expert, James Blanco, compared years of signatures and claimed they were not all made by Redstone.
In an interview with The Post, Redstone lawyer Robert Klieger dismissed that notion.
Klieger sees Redstone a few times a week and confirms, “I witnessed him signing documents.” The lawyer also told The Post that Redstone “exercises for an hour a day” and swims multiples times a week and, while he may not read daily stories of the struggles at Viacom, he is generally aware of the situation.
Klieger explains the handwriting deterioration as a function of Redstone’s arthritis and his difficulty with his hand that was badly burned in a fire.