Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

16 hours ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

17 hours ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

20 hours ago

Elon Musk Says Senate Bill Would Destroy Jobs and Harm US

20 hours ago

Israel Strikes Pound Gaza, Killing 60, Ahead of US Talks on Ceasefire

22 hours ago

Trump’s Administration Finds Harvard Violated Students’ Civil Rights, WSJ Reports

22 hours ago

How Did the Supreme Court Rule? Here’s a Look at the Big Cases

3 days ago
Sen. Feinstein Claims Being Stiffed on Payments for 'Significant' Medical Bills
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
July 20, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LOS ANGELES  — 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 “significant” medical bills by a trust created for her benefit by her wealthy late husband.

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, including a brief bout of encephalitis.

In the Monday petition in San Francisco Superior Court, attorneys for the Democratic senator and her daughter, Katherine Feinstein, wrote that the longtime lawmaker had built up “significant” medical expenses and sought reimbursement from the marital trust, which was established in 1996 by her husband, investor Richard Blum, who died last year. 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.

Questions Over Feinstein Granting Power of Attorney

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.”

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.

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.

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 Ramsay Hunt syndrome, 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 — 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.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

DON'T MISS

Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating

DON'T MISS

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

DON'T MISS

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

DON'T MISS

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

DON'T MISS

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

DON'T MISS

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

DON'T MISS

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

DON'T MISS

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

UP NEXT

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

UP NEXT

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

UP NEXT

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles Over Immigration Enforcement

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Says Senate Bill Would Destroy Jobs and Harm US

UP NEXT

US to Restart Trade Negotiations With Canada Immediately, White House Says

UP NEXT

Trump’s Administration Finds Harvard Violated Students’ Civil Rights, WSJ Reports

UP NEXT

US Supreme Court to Hear Republican Challenge to ‘Coordinated’ Campaign Spending Curbs

UP NEXT

Trump to Sign Order Related to Syria Sanctions Easing, CBS News Reports

UP NEXT

Mamdani’s NYC Primary Win Sparks Surge in Anti-Muslim Posts, Advocates Say

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

14 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

14 hours ago

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

15 hours ago

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

15 hours ago

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

15 hours ago

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

15 hours ago

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

15 hours ago

DOJ Announces Arrest, Indictments in North Korean IT Worker Scheme

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor

15 hours ago

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

16 hours ago

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

The Clovis Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating an at-risk missing adult last seen on Thursday. Pathmani Goonawarde...

13 hours ago

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
13 hours ago

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

fresno
13 hours ago

Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

14 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

Bryan Koberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, listens during a hearing to overturn his grand jury indictment in Moscow, Idaho, U.S., October 26, 2023. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

The Blanca Fire, burning 12 acres northwest of Lake Madera Country Estates in Madera County, remains active with 0% containment and no reported injuries or structural damage as the cause is under investigation as of Monday, June 30, 2025. (CalFire)
15 hours ago

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

Fresno County CHP arrested two on Interstate 5 after finding about one kilogram of suspected cocaine, a loaded ghost gun, and counterfeit money during a vehicle search on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (CHP)
15 hours ago

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

Gov. Newsom warns Californians to celebrate the Fourth of July safely, emphasizing zero tolerance for illegal fireworks which have surged to over 600,000 pounds seized this year. (Shutterstock)
15 hours ago

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend