Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, has sued his two children and his former business manager for allegedly misusing his money and slandering him by saying he has dementia, AP reported on Monday.
The former astronaut filed the lawsuit in a Florida court earlier this month, soon after his children Andrew and Janice filed a petition claiming he was suffering from loss of memory and delusions. They sought to be named his legal guardians as he was spending his assets at “an alarming rate” and was associating with friends who wanted to alienate him from his family.
Mental health experts appointed by the court will evaluate Aldrin this week.
In his lawsuit, Aldrin has asked the court to remove Andrew Aldrin from the control of his financial affairs, social media accounts and non-profit and business ventures. He accused his daughter Janice of not acting in his financial interests. The former manager, Christina Korp, is accused of fraud, exploitation of the elderly and unjust enrichment.
Andrew and Janice Aldrin said they were saddened by the “unjustifiable” lawsuit. “If nothing else, our family is resilient and our ability to work together to solve problems and accomplish great things is strong,” they said. “We love and respect our father very much and remain hopeful that we can rise above this situation and recover the strong relationship that built this foundation in the first place.”
Aldrin was on the crew of the Apollo 11 that landed on the surface of moon in July 1969. He set foot on the moon after his crew commander Neil Armstrong.
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