The Latest: Redstone's mental competency at center of battle

CANTON, Mass. (AP) - The Latest on Sumner Redstone-Viacom CEO (all times local):

12:40 p.m.

A battery of lawyers has argued before a judge about whether media mogul Sumner Redstone is mentally competent.

Redstone's competency was the focus of a hearing Tuesday in Norfolk Probate and Family Court in Canton, Massachusetts.

Viacom's embattled chief executive Philippe Dauman and board member George Abrams are suing Redstone to be restored as a director and trustee to entities that control Viacom and CBS Corp.

They allege that the 93-year-old Redstone didn't have the mental capacity to remove them and that he is being manipulated by his daughter, Shari Redstone.

In court Tuesday, a lawyer for Sumner Redstone said Redstone made the decision himself because he thought Dauman was doing a "poor job" running Viacom and objected to Dauman's plan to sell a stake in Viacom subsidiary Paramount Pictures.

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1:45 a.m.:

Media mogul Sumner Redstone's mental competency is at the center of a court battle in Massachusetts.

The first hearing in the case is scheduled for Tuesday.

In court papers, lawyers for Viacom chief executive Philippe Dauman asked a judge to order an immediate medical evaluation of Redstone. They also asked for a quick trial, arguing that Redstone is suffering from "overwhelming physical ailments" and has a progressive neurological disease characterized by dementia.

Last week, Redstone's attorneys filed court papers saying he has been examined twice recently by a geriatric psychiatrist, who said Redstone is "clearly communicating" his business decisions, which "reflect his own authentic wishes and preferences."

Viacom Inc., a media conglomerate based in New York, owns the Paramount Pictures movie studio and pay TV channels such as MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET.