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Senator Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress who has been beset with serious health problems, is suing the estate of her late husband, arguing she’s being denied payments for ‘significant’ medical bills.
Feinstein, 90, was born in 1933 and has held her seat in the Senate representing California for nearly 31 years.
Her reputation has begun to sour as the ailing senator clings to power despite apparent cognitive decline and absence that led to a backlog of judge confirmations through the Judiciary Committee.
In the suit filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, attorneys for Feinstein and her daughter, Katherine, who represents her, wrote she built up ‘significant’ medical expenses and sought reimbursement from the marital trust established in 1996 by her husband, investor Richard Blum, who died in 2022.
Trustees for the fund said they were ‘perplexed’ by the filing and they have never denied any disbursement for the 90-year-old Feinstein, who was absent from the Senate for two-and-a-half months this year as she contended with shingles and other complications.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress who has been beset with serious health problems, is suing the estate of her late husband, arguing she’s being denied payments for ‘significant’ medical bills
The senator is the ‘sole income beneficiary’ of the trust, which has assets that include a life insurance policy and its proceeds, the filing says.
Despite Blum’s intent to provide for his wife’s welfare after his death ‘the purported trustees have refused to make distributions to reimburse Sen. Feinstein´s medical expenses,’ they wrote.
Additionally, they said ‘purported trustees’ Mark R. Klein and Marc Scholvinck were not appointed in compliance with terms of the trust.
The senator wants to appoint her daughter to manage the fund, which they asked the court to confirm. Katherine Feinstein is Blum’s stepdaughter.
In response, Steven P. Braccini, an attorney for Klein and Scholvinck, said in a statement, ‘My clients are perplexed by this filing. Richard Blum´s trust has never denied any disbursement to Sen. Feinstein, let alone for medical expenses.’
‘While my clients are deeply concerned, we all remain hopeful that this is simply a misunderstanding that can be quickly resolved,’ he said.
In the filing, Katherine Feinstein, a San Francisco Fire Commission member and former judge, is identified as ‘attorney in fact’ for the senator, which is someone authorized to act on behalf of another person.
But Braccini said, ‘We have not been presented with any evidence showing that Katherine Feinstein has power of attorney for her mother; nor has Katherine made it clear, either in this filing or directly to my clients, why a sitting United States senator would require someone to have power of attorney over her.’
Feinstein, 90, was born in 1933 and has held her seat in the Senate for nearly 31 years
Her reputation has begun to sour as the ailing senator clings to power despite plain-as-day cognitive decline and a two-and-a-half month illness absence that led to a backlog of judge confirmations through the Judiciary Committee
The senator is the ‘sole income beneficiary’ of the trust, which has assets that include a life insurance policy and its proceeds, the filing says
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In the suit filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, attorneys for the Feinstein and her daughter, Katherine (pictured), wrote she had built up ‘significant’ medical expenses and sought reimbursement from the marital trust, established in 1996 by her husband, investor Richard Blum, who died in 2022
Despite late husband Richard Blum’s (pictured) intent to provide for his wife’s welfare after his death ‘the purported trustees have refused to make distributions to reimburse Sen. Feinstein´s medical expenses,’ they wrote
The senator’s spokesman, Adam Russell, said in an email that Feinstein and her office would have no comment on what he called ‘a private legal matter.’
Feinstein is covered by Medicare and the DC Health Link, which provides health plans for members of Congress.
She is the fifth-oldest to ever serve in the Senate. Strom Thurmond, the segregationist Democrat-turned-Republican, was the oldest and longest-serving senator ever: he was 100 when he retired in January 2003 after 48 years in office.
She is also one of the wealthiest: Feinstein is worth an estimated $58 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. She was married to investment banker Richard Blum from 1980 until his death in 2022.
Feinstein, whose groundbreaking political career shattered gender barriers from San Francisco´s City Hall to the corridors of Capitol Hill, announced in February that she would not seek reelection.
Three House Democrats have already lined up to try to replace her: Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. Businessman Eric Early is running on the Republican side.
After her sick leave, Feinstein returned to the Capitol in May looking noticeably thinner and frail, about 10 weeks after being diagnosed with and briefly hospitalized for shingles in San Francisco.
Feinstein returned to the Senate last month after a bout with shingles that led to vision and balance impairments as well as facial paralysis known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome in addition to encephalitis, a brain infection.
Feinstein is covered by Medicare and the DC Health Link , which provides health plans for members of Congress
Feinstein, whose groundbreaking political career shattered gender barriers from San Francisco´s City Hall to the corridors of Capitol Hill, announced in February that she would not seek reelection
Feinstein was married to investment banker Richard Blum (pictured left) from 1980 until his death in 2022
Other side effects from the virus include vision and balance problems. She has been using a wheelchair to get to her office and committee meetings.
Feinstein has faced questions about her memory and cognitive abilities for years – though she defended her effectiveness – and has appeared confused at times during brief discussions with reporters.
Despite calls from some in her own party to resign, Feinstein has given no indication that she is considering stepping down.
