LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 Attorneys for California U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress who has been beset with serious health problems, assert in a court filing that she is being stiffed on payments for 鈥渟ignificant鈥 medical bills by a trust created for her benefit by her wealthy late husband.
Trustees for the fund said they were 鈥減erplexed鈥 by the filing and they have never denied any disbursement for the 90-year-old Feinstein, who was absent from the Senate for this year as she contended with shingles and other complications, including a brief bout of encephalitis.
In in San Francisco Superior Court, attorneys for the Democratic senator and her daughter, Katherine Feinstein, wrote that the longtime lawmaker had built up 鈥渟ignificant鈥 medical expenses and sought reimbursement from the marital trust, which was established in 1996 by her husband, investor Richard Blum, . The senator is the 鈥渟ole income beneficiary鈥 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 鈥渢he purported trustees have refused to make distributions to reimburse Sen. Feinstein鈥檚 medical expenses,鈥 they wrote.
Additionally, they said 鈥減urported trustees鈥 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, 鈥淢y clients are perplexed by this filing. Richard Blum鈥檚 trust has never denied any disbursement to Sen. Feinstein, let alone for medical expenses."
鈥淲hile 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 鈥渁ttorney in fact鈥 for the senator, which is someone authorized to act on behalf of another person.
But Braccini said, 鈥淲e 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."
The senator's spokesman, Adam Russell, said in an email that Feinstein and her office would have no comment on what he called 鈥渁 private legal matter.鈥
Feinstein is covered by Medicare and the , which provides health plans for members of Congress.
Feinstein, whose groundbreaking political career shattered gender barriers from San Francisco鈥檚 City Hall to the corridors of Capitol Hill, announced in February that .
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. One side of her face was drooping, apparently from , which can occur when the shingles virus reaches a facial nerve near the ears. It also can cause hearing loss.
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 鈥 though she defended her effectiveness 鈥 and has appeared confused at times during brief discussions with reporters.
Despite calls from some in her own party , Feinstein has given no indication that she is considering stepping down.
