Viacom Board Said to Stop Paying Salary to Sumner Redstone

Viacom Inc.’s board voted to stop paying its ailing chairman emeritus, Sumner Redstone, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, after court proceedings shed light on his frail state.
The board acted Wednesday, said the person who asked not to be identified discussing the private deliberations. Redstone, 92, who controls Viacom and CBS Corp., stepped down as chairman of both companies in February. He received $2.01 million in total compensation from Viacom in fiscal 2015, according to company filings, a drop from $13.2 million the previous year. A lawsuit by an ex-girlfriend revealed the aging mogul to be in poor health, with round-the-clock nursing care and great difficulty speaking and eating. Manuela Herzer had sued to be reinstated as Redstone’s health-care agent. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Cowan dismissed her case last week after videotaped testimony revealed Redstone was able to make decisions for himself.