More Redstone Drama, ‘South Park’ War & an Obama Riddle

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Happy Monday, I’m Eriq Gardner.

Welcome back to The Rainmaker. In this week’s edition, a juicy new case involving a heiress to the Sumner Redstone fortune. Plus Barack Obama, Ron DeSantis, Carlos Watson, David Zazlav’s South Park lawsuit, Kanye West’s new lawyer, and a Supreme Court brief you’ll have to see to believe.

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But first…

An Obama-Fugees-DiCaprio Legal Riddle for the Ages

These days, Jho Low is a notorious fugitive, wanted by the U.S. for allegedly masterminding the theft of billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund and then attempting to covertly influence American politics. Back in 2012, however, he was right next to Barack Obama at the White House for a holiday party. And there’s a (blurry) photo, too!

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A Redstone, a Porn Star, and a Cat-Kidnapper Walk into a Bar…

It’s springtime for defamation. From Hollywood A-listers to NFL legends, QAnon conspiracists to YouTubers and even chess grandmasters, everyone is seemingly in court these days over what someone else said.

ERIQ GARDNER

Two years ago, when the billionaire Hollywood mogul Sumner Redstone passed away, his granddaughter Keryn got a text message from an old acquaintance expressing sympathy for her loss. Keryn, 40, who was among the beneficiaries of her grandfather’s fortune after an estate battle with two of Sumner’s former live-in girlfriends, did not respond right away. But a few months later, Keryn texted back her old buddy, Scott Nathan, and the two began chatting. That’s where their stories diverge. The dispute, now in court, represents a strange aftermath to the legal drama featured in James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams’s new book about the Redstone family and their media legacy.

According to Nathan’s account, Keryn Redstone offered him a job as her estate manager and personal assistant, which he accepted. After receiving a $50,000 signing bonus, he began to organize her chaotic life. Soon, he moved into her Brentwood residence, lured by the promise of more money. But Nathan claims that Keryn struggled...

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