Viacom CEO Dauman says Redstone making own healthcare decisions

(Reuters) - Viacom Inc Chief Executive Philippe Dauman said he speaks with Executive Chairman Sumner Redstone several times a week and that the 92-year-old media mogul is in charge of his own healthcare.

Dauman's comments, at a UBS conference on Monday, come after a lawsuit filed by one of Redstone's former girlfriends raised new questions about the billionaire's competence and ability to run Viacom and CBS Corp .

The lawsuit, filed by Manuela Herzer, describes Redstone as mentally vacant, "listless", prone to uncontrollable crying spells and demands he receive a mental examination to determine whether he could still make decisions for himself.

 

Redstone had chosen Herzer to make him health care decisions in case he was not able to. But she was replaced by Dauman on Oct. 16.

"Contrary to what some people have suggested, no one other than Sumner Redstone is making healthcare decisions for him as it relates to his physical condition," Dauman said on Monday.

Dauman said he will not comment on Redstone's "personal" litigation.

Redstone controls about 80 percent of the voting shares in CBS and Viacom through a holding company, National Amusements.

(Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)