Buzz Aldrin is suing two of his children over claims he has dementia

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is suing two of his children
Getty Images for WE
Sophie Williams26 June 2018

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is suing his two children and a former business manager over claims they stole money from him and slandered him by saying he has dementia.

The Apollo 11 moonwalker has accused his children Andrew and Janice and his former business manager Christina Korp of misusing his credit cards and transferring money from an account.

His lawsuit came a week after his two children filed a petition claiming their father was suffering from memory loss, and confusion, asking the court to name them his legal guardians.

Mr Aldrin was the second man to walk on the moon as a member of the Apollo 11 crew.

Buzz Aldrin on board the lunar module 'Eagle'
AFP/Getty Images

The 88-year-old has asked a judge to remove his son's power to have control of his financial affairs, social media and business enterprises. His son had been a trustee of Mr Aldrin’s trust.

He has also accused his daughter, Janice, of not acting in his financial interests and conspiracy. While in the lawsuit, he accused his former manager Ms Korp of fraud and exploitation of the elderly.

His children claim that Mr Aldrin was associating with new people who were trying to alienate him from his family and that he has been spending money at “an alarming rate.”

A court-appointed mental health expert is due to evaluate Mr Aldrin in Florida this week.

Mr Aldrin underwent his own evaluation in April, conducted by a geriatric psychiatrist at UCLA who said that he scored “superior to normal” for his age on tests.

In a letter to Mr Aldrin’s attorney, the former astronaut wrote: “I also believe that he is perfectly capable of providing for his physical health needs, food, clothing and shelter, and is substantially able to manage his finances and resist fraud and undue influence.”

In a statement Andrew and Janice said: “If nothing else, our family is resilient and our ability to work together to solve problems and accomplish great things is strong. 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.”

Additional reporting by AP.

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