Casey Kasem Family Feud Heads Back to Court
The popular radio DJ's children say his wife will not allow them to see him.
Nov. 19, 2013— -- The children of legendary radio personality Casey Kasem will be back in a California court today in an effort to establish a conservatorship over their ailing father.
Kasem's three adult children from his first marriage say actress Jean Kasem, their father's wife of 33 years, is blocking them from seeing Kasem, 81, who has advanced Parkinson's disease.
At today's hearing, Judge Roy Paul is expected to consider their petition requesting a conservatorship over Kasem after he ruled in October that the veteran radio personality has received "adequate" care under the supervision of his wife and that an urgent conservatorship was not necessary. The judge also appointed an independent doctor who has been assessing the quality of care being provided by Kasem's wife.
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"[Kasem's children] have to show not only that he will benefit from the conservatorship but that the person, Jean Kasem, [who] has been making decisions before, is doing it wrong," said family attorney Mark David Kaplan, who is not affiliated with this case.
In legal documents filed in court, Jean Kasem, most famous for playing ditzy Loretta Tortelli on "Cheers," said "These children single-handedly and irreparably shattered the lives of their father, his wife and youngest daughter, the calm of their home …"
Kasem was referring to the protest held by Casey Kasem's children and friends outside his Holmby Hills, Calif., home in October. His children say their fight to see their dad is not about the money he made over his long career.
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"I don't want any of the money," Kasem's daughter, Julie, told ABC News in October. "She can have all of it … all of it and then some. Just give us our father."
Jean Kasem's attorney, Marshall Grossman, told ABC News in a statement that she extended an olive branch after the first court hearing.
"Jean has offered Casey's other adult children visitation rights on major holidays, Casey's birthday and every three weeks. They have declined this offer and it remains open," he said.
Casey Kasem, who has a daughter with Jean, is best known for hosting the syndicated American Top 40 countdown show, which he ended with his signature sign-off "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."
He voiced the character Shaggy in the Saturday morning cartoon franchise "Scooby-Doo."
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