Casey Kasem doesn't need a conservator, judge rules; wife says she's not a wicked stepmom
Jean and Casey Kasem in 2003. Featureflash
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A Los Angeles judge has refused a bid to appoint a temporary conservator for radio personality Casey Kasem.
Judge Lesley Green said on Tuesday that 81-year-old Kasem is receiving “good to excellent” medical care and he doesn’t need a conservator, report the Associated Press, CBSLA.com and People magazine. Kasem is suffering from advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Kasem’s three grown children from his first marriage claim their stepmother, Jean, has refused to allow them to visit their father. Daughter Julie, a physician’s assistant, sought the temporary conservatorship. She and her two siblings have been demonstrating in front of Kasem’s home to protest claimed lack of access.
Jean Kasem said in court papers that the children “falsely claim that their stepmother is wicked” and their presence would be “toxic” for “reasons they know all too well.” Their demonstrations and public statements “have shattered the lives of their father, his wife and youngest daughter,” the documents allege.
Green said there is “bad blood” in the family and urged the parties to work out a visitation agreement. Jean Kasem had offered a visitation schedule—which called for the presence of a security guard during the visits—but the children had rejected it, her lawyer told the court.
Kasem is known for his radio show American Top 40 and for voicing the character Shaggy in Scooby-Doo.
Updated at 1:28 p.m. to correct a reference to the human character Shaggy in Scooby-Doo.
