BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: Late TV host Larry King’s widow Shawn has refuted allegations that she was abusive to him in his final years, accusing his close friends of taking advantage of him while he was struggling with medical issues. The 87-year-old veteran, who hosted 'Larry King Live' on CNN for over 25 years, died on January 23, 2021, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
In her latest court filings, Shawn “vigorously” denied the bombshell allegations made by King's close friend Greg Christensen. Last year, the 63-year-old actor filed a $100 million lawsuit against her former business managers at the firm Blouin & Company. In the documents, Shawn alleged she and King hired the company to manage their money, but the business managers surreptitiously worked with her husband to conceal funds and a bank account from her. She said the secret account was used to transfer millions of dollars in common property to third parties, including her sister Shannon, whom she previously accused of having an affair with Larry, according to Radar Online.
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Shawn 'mistreated and abused Larry King in a number of ways'
Shawn then alleged in her complaint that the hidden money was moved inappropriately to Christensen, who claimed that King approved the funds sent to him. He also stated the funds were intended to help Larry find his own place after his divorce from Shawn, as well as to pay divorce attorneys. As per Christensen, King told him that Shawn “sought to control every aspect of his life.” He said after Larry suffered a stroke in 2019, Shawn “mistreated and abused Larry King in a number of ways which I personally witnessed when I visited Larry King. Shawn King prohibited Larry King from living or sleeping in the main home and forced him to live and sleep only in the backhouse which was located behind their home which Larry King had purchased.”
Christensen went on to claim that Shawn also “deprived King of his wallet and sometimes his phone for extended periods of time, keeping him trapped in the back house." “Shawn King further abused Larry King by restricting the resources the caregivers had access to in order to take care of Larry. By way of example, Shawn King often attempted to prevent the caregivers from entering the main house to obtain things to care for Larry, and so if something was not in the back house the caregivers would have to administer their care without it or wait until it could be brought next time or purchased,” he claimed.
'I was actively involved in caring for Larry'
In response, Shawn claimed that she was never abusive to King nor did she block him from accessing his watches, credit cards, or notes. “After Larry suffered his stroke in approximately 2019, I was actively involved in caring for Larry, including attending Larry’s many doctor’s appointments, helping to coordinate health care and professional caregivers for Larry, and spending many days (and often sleeping overnight) with Larry during his hospital stays,” the actress said. Further she noted that after King was discharged from hospital, she consulted a doctor “who recommended that it was better for Larry to spend time in our separate guest house in order to allow Larry to rest and to provide caregivers better access to Larry, who was using a wheelchair.”