Judge Rejects Children's Request For Conservatorship Of Casey Kasem
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A bid by the grown children of Casey Kasem to establish a conservatorship over the 81-year-old radio legend was rejected Tuesday by a judge, who ruled there was no clear and convincing evidence the deejay's health was immediately at risk.
The feud surrounding Kasem, who suffers from advanced Parkinson's disease, is between his second wife, Jean, to whom he has been married since 1980, and his three children from his first marriage. Kasem's children claim their stepmother has been preventing them from visiting their father, and they have held demonstrations in front of the Kasem home.
In Tuesday's hearing, attorneys on both sides were instructed to work out an agreement before Dec. 20 for Kasem's children to visit their father.
According to court papers filed Oct. 7 by Kasem's daughter, Julie, a physician's assistant, and her husband Dr. Jamil Aboulhosn, a UCLA Medical School associate professor, Kasem "has been isolated from his daughters, friends and other family by Mrs. Kasem."
Four days before those papers were filed, the siblings sent an email to their stepmother seeking information about the doctor caring for their father, but Mrs. Kasem did not respond, according to the filing.
On Monday, Jean Kasem filed court papers attacking the motives of her husband's children.
"These children single-handedly and irreparably shattered the lives of their father, his wife and youngest daughter, the calm of their home and their neighborhood by engaging in uncalled for public demonstrations and personal attacks in the media," Jean Kasem's new court papers state. "They are doing so with a professionally orchestrated media and legal campaign that has disgraced their father and vilified their stepmother. ..."
According to Jean Kasem's court papers, no conservatorship is needed for her husband. He is under the ongoing care of his primary doctor, and his wife has arranged 24-hour care for him, her court papers state.
"These children falsely claim that their stepmother is wicked and is keeping her husband prisoner in his home behind closed doors and that they no longer have access to him through no fault of their own," according to Jean Kasem's court papers. "They ask this court to grant them access to Jean and Casey's home even though they do not (nor) have never lived there. For reasons they know all too well, their presence at this state would be toxic and extremely distressing for Casey, Jean and their daughter, Liberty, who have had enough of their cruelty."
Julie Kasem's attorney, Andrew Katzenstein, said his clients found positive news in the judge's ruling. "We've now heard from numerous independent investigators ... [that Casey Kasem] is being well-cared for, and our clients, who haven't been able to see him in a number of months, are very happy to have that confirmed."
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