Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) says she decided to give her daughter power of attorney over her legal affairs amid a court battle over her late husband’s estate so she can focus on her work in Congress.
Feinstein, who is 90, has sued the trustees of her late husband Richard C. Blum’s estate, alleging elder abuse and the wrongful withholding of distributions, including $170,000 she has requested to pay for medical expenses.
The California senator filed a document in July granting power of attorney to her daughter, Katherine Feinstein, a former San Francisco judge, after the younger Feinstein filed a suit against Blum’s trust seeking to remove the trustees for breach of fiduciary duties.
“I’ve asked my daughter to handle the case. And it’s so I can focus on what I’m doing back here in Washington,” Feinstein told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s a difficult time for me, and so I really don’t have time for other things.”
Feinstein clarified her legal situation after initially telling the Chronicle that she “gave no permission to do anything.”
She later clarified in a follow-up phone call that “I’ve entrusted my daughter to handle those things that I believe she can.”
“She’s very smart, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll change it. But so far, so good,” she said of her daughter’s ability to handle her legal claims.
Feinstein, who is wealthy in her own right, was married to Blum for more than 40 years until his 2022 death. His estate is estimated to be worth more than $1 billion.
Feinstein and her daughter have filed three lawsuits against Blum’s estate, including a petition claiming the right to sell a family property in Stinson Beach, a public beach within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Feinstein was absent from the Senate for nearly three months earlier this year after suffering a bout of shingles, which impaired her vision and balance.
She will not run for reelection when her term ends in 2024.