Redstone Taps New Stewards

Sumner Redstone said Tuesday he has made several appointments to the bodies responsible for overseeing his media empire, after dismissing top associates from those duties last week.

Mr. Redstone named Jill Krutick, a former media executive and stock analyst, and Tad Jankowski, the general counsel of his holding company, National Amusements Inc., to the trust that will oversee the mogul's controlling stakes in Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. when he dies or is deemed incapacitated.

Mr. Redstone also named Ms. Krutick and his oldest granddaughter, Kimberlee Ostheimer, to the board of National Amusements.

The changes, which were widely expected, were announced in a statement issued through Mike Lawrence, a new spokesman for Mr. Redstone.

The new appointees fill the slots that were occupied by Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman and Viacom director George Abrams, who were informed by a lawyer for Mr. Redstone that they had been removed from the trust and the National Amusements board.

The two men challenged their removal in a lawsuit filed yesterday in a Massachusetts court. They alleged that Mr. Redstone's daughter, Shari Redstone, has manipulated her ailing father and orchestrated the changes as part of a campaign to gain control of his $40 billion media empire.

Ms. Redstone has denied those charges.

Mr. Redstone, who has suffered various health problems and has extreme difficulty communicating, turns 93 on Friday.

Write to Amol Sharma at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 24, 2016 10:55 ET (14:55 GMT)

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