The Judge says, "I'm looking for a global outcome if we can get it."
It is painful to watch Senator Dianne Feinstein in the dusk of her long and distinguished career of public service, mired in a family lawsuit in which she is represented by her daughter former San Francisco judge Katherine Feinstein, acting as her trustee. Earlier in August, when Senator Feinstein's cognitive abilities were being questioned, CBS News reported that Senator Feinstein had turned over power of attorney to her daughter.
As reported by the NYT on 9/11/23, the dispute pits the three children of Senator Feinstein's late husband, investor Richard C. Blum, against Senator Feinstein and Katherine Feinstein. At issue are the sale of a vacation home in Stinson Beach, the use of the assets of Blum's estate for payment of Senator Feinstein's medical expenses, and a request to appoint Katherine Feinstein as a trustee of the Blum estate.
The trustees of Blum's estate claim that Senator Feinstein has "$1 million in annual income, a quarterly $125,000 disbursement from another of her late husband’s trusts, and a net worth of more than $50 million." Senator Feinstein's trustee claims that Blum's trust is being manipulated to maximize his daughters' inheritance. Whatever the outcome, it appears that Senator Feinstein will not be left destitute.
With the consent of the parties, the dispute will be mediated. Mediation is definitely the best way to resolve a family dispute such as this. What high profile public person -- indeed, what person -- would want to air family acrimony before the wide public? Mediation offers the parties the opportunity to resolve their dispute globally and in private. Hopefully they will not squander that opportunity.
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