Judge Rejects Temporary Conservatorship Bid Over Kasey Casem

A Los Angeles judge today rejected a bid by one of Casey Kasem's children and her physician husband to establish a temporary conservatorship over the 81-year-old radio legend, ruling there was no showing that the iconic deejay's health was immediately at risk.

"The clear and convincing evidence we have now is that is that he is receiving, depending on who you speak to, good to excellent care ... in his home," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lesley Green said.

The judge, however, asked attorneys for both sides to work out an agreement before Dec. 20 for Kasem's three adult children from his first marriage -- he also has a daughter with his second wife -- to visit their father.

The lawyers said they would begin working on a possible visitation solution today.

Kasem has advanced Parkinson's disease, and the feud between his wife, Jean, to whom he has been married since 1980, and his children from his first marriage to Linda Myers has escalated into demonstrations in front of the Kasem home, where they have claimed their stepmother has been preventing them from visiting their father.

Jean Kasem's attorney, Marshall Grossman, said his client was "very gratified" by the judge's ruling.

"It shows Jean Kasem is providing wonderful care to her husband," he said.

Grossman said any visitation agreement would have to include an end to the petitioners' fight for a temporary conservatorship. He said Jean Kasem has made a generous offer that would allow her stepchildren to come to the couple's home to see their father often, including holidays. That proposal was rejected by the petitioners, he said.

Grossman said Jean Kasem will reserve her right to seek to be appointed her husband's legal caretaker if her stepchildren continue their current course and indicate at the Dec. 20 hearing that they want to be named permanent conservators.

Lawyer Andrew Katzenstein, on behalf of the Kasem children, said today's hearing was reassuring to the petitioners, as well, because they heard statements from the other attorneys that their father is getting proper medical care.

"The whole thing for my clients is what is best for him (Kasem)," Katzenstein said.

At one point during the hearing, Katzenstein said his clients would not object to Jean Kasem being named temporary conservator of her husband because it would give the judge the legal authority to set a visitation schedule.

Grossman objected, saying Jean Kasem only wants to be given the appointment if the court feels her husband needs such protection.

In their court papers filed Oct. 7 seeking to be named temporary conservators, Julie Kasem, a physician's assistant, and her husband Dr. Jamil Aboulhosn, a UCLA Medical School associate professor, alleged the longtime radio personality "has been isolated from his daughters, friends and other family by Mrs. Kasem."

The siblings sent an email to their stepmother on Oct. 3, seeking information about the doctor caring for their father, but she failed to respond, the petitioners allege.

On Monday, Jean Kasem filed court papers attacking the motives of her stepchildren, alleging they "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 in Holmby Hills and personal attacks in the media. 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," Jean Kasem's court papers say. "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."     Jean Kasem's court papers also state that her stepchildren ostensibly obtained a health care directive on behalf of their father in 2007 that was "procured at a UPS store and without the apparent benefit of legal counsel."

In April 2011, Casey and Jean Kasem agreed to give her the power to make decisions for her husband's physical welfare and he revoked the 2007 document, according to Jean Kasem's court papers.

Samuel Ingham, Kasem's court-appointed lawyer, said he needs more information from a physician who performed a court-ordered examination of the former deejay before he can given an opinion on whether the 2011 directive is valid. The physician said Kasem had some mental issues in 2009, Ingham said.

- City News Service