Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, is suing two of his three children and his former business manager amid allegations of stolen money and the mishandling of his life.
On June 7 Aldrin, 88, filed a lawsuit in Florida against his children Andrew and Janice Aldrin and Christina Korp, his former business manager. That was after, in May, they had asked to become Aldrin’s co-guardians because they claimed he was “in cognitive decline”, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Aldrin’s filing alleges “that Andy Aldrin and Korp used the former astronaut’s personal credit cards, trust accounts, artifacts, and social media accounts for their own purposes,” reported Ars Technica. He is also alleging that the family prevented him from marrying for a fourth time.
One of the major issues stems around the running of his private company, Buzz Aldrin Enterprises, which handles his legacy and finances. Aldrin’s children have claimed that he has been speaking to new friends, who have attempted to distance him from his family and been spending his money.
Today and tomorrow, Aldrin’s mental health will be evaluated by an expert on order of the court. Aldrin, meanwhile, says that Korp misused his finances, something she denies, and was attempting to slander the astronaut by saying he suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s.
“Nobody is going to come close to thinking I should be under a guardianship,” the former astronaut told the Wall Street Journal.
Aldrin’s family have responded to this latest development. "We are deeply disappointed and saddened by the unjustified lawsuit that has been brought against us individually and against the Foundation that we have built together as a family to carry on Dad's legacy for generations to come,” they said in a statement seen by NASA Watch.
Korp, in her own statement yesterday, said that she “cannot stand by while there are unwarranted personal attacks on my integrity, honesty, professionalism and character.”
“Unfortunately, almost a year ago, some people began to exert undue influence on Buzz,” she continued. “These individuals began to actively try to drive a wedge between Buzz and his children, and me, for what I fear is their own benefit.”
She added: “Buzz Aldrin is important to the world, but he is also important to me and my family, which is why the false allegations being made against me are so very hurtful.”
Next year in July it will be the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon in 1969. It’s not clear if this complex issue will be resolved before then, nor what the outcome will be.
