A judge indicated today that he will rule next month on whether Casey Kasem’s widow has a legal right to object to the payment of about $350,000 in attorney’s fees and costs related to the establishment of a conservatorship over her late husband, before holding a trial on the issue.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Clifford Klein ordered the lawyers back to court for a Jan. 8 hearing. He did not schedule a date for trial.
Kasem was the subject of a vitriolic legal battle between his wife Jean and his children from his first marriage until he died June 15 at age 82. He suffered from dementia and Lewy body disease, which has symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.
A judge has to approve the fees and costs because they would be paid by Casey Kasem’s estate.
Judge Daniel Murphy named Kerri Kasem as her father’s temporary guardian in May. Murphy later removed himself from the case.
Kerri Kasem’s lawyers and the radio icon’s court-appointed attorney, Samuel Ingham, are among those seeking to be paid for their work. Kerri Kasem is asking to be reimbursed for travel expenses to the state of Washington, where Kasem died after his wife moved him from a Santa Monica care facility.
Lawyer Troy Martin, on behalf of Kerri Kasem, said the window for exchanging information between the two sides closed today and that Jean Kasem’s attorneys should not be requesting to take further depositions. He said private investigators in Washington have yet to be paid.
“What we have here is a series of delay tactics,” Martin said.
But attorney Adrian Sawyer, on behalf of Kasem’s widow, said he needs to depose Kerry Kasem, Ingham and various people in Washington before he is ready for trial. In his court papers, Sawyer claims Ingham has done unnecessary work to “pad” his fees and that Kerri Kasem’s lawyers are trying to “blackmail” Jean Kasem with their request.
Martin said that if Klein decides Jean Kasem does not have “standing” to object to the payment of the fees and costs, she will no longer be able to try and block the process.
Kerri, Julie and Mike Kasem were born during their father’s marriage to Linda Myers from 1972-79. Jean Kasem was married to the former radio personality for more than three decades and they have a 24-year-old daughter, Liberty.
