Those questions will set the backdrop for the trial, as the court is expected to hear video testimony from Mr. Redstone, as well as from his daughter, doctors and nurses, Ms. Herzer and Philippe Dauman, the chief executive of Viacom.  “Mr. Redstone is a media titan and deserves all the respect he can get,” said Pierce O’Donnell, Ms. Herzer’s lawyer. “I want to stress that my client has come to court to protect him.”  Robert N. Klieger, a lawyer for Mr. Redstone, said in a statement that the case was all about money for Ms. Herzer.  “For Mr. Redstone, it is about his ability to decide who will make the most important health care decisions in his life,” Mr. Klieger added. “Some things are more important than money.”  The legal battle also has put a harsh spotlight on the fractious dynamics of the Redstone family. Mr. Redstone’s daughter is now back in his life after years of bitter public feuds. His granddaughter, Keryn Redstone formed an alliance with Ms. Herzer that essentially pits her against Shari Redstone, her aunt.  The two sides came close to reaching a settlement last month that would have included detailed plans for Mr. Redstone’s health care and a payment for Ms. Herzer that reached into the tens of millions of dollars. But talks hit a snag in mid-April. Since then, hurried trial preparations have been underway, with both sides boldly proclaiming that they are looking forward to arguing the dispute in court  The trial, which is scheduled to last five days, promises to provide vivid details and plot turns worthy of a Shakespearean drama.  The first witness Friday is expected to be Mr. Redstone, in video testimony recorded this week, Mr. O’Donnell said. Mr. Redstone has not been seen publicly since his 92nd birthday last May and has suffered from minor strokes that left him with a severe speech impediment. In her suit, Ms. Herzer called him a “living ghost.’’  One person who has interacted regularly with Mr. Redstone and who asked not to be identified because the conversations with Mr. Redstone were private said that while it was difficult to understand him initially, people who become familiar with his speech patterns could make out what he was saying, particularly when he responded to yes or no questions, spoke in shorter phrases or became angry. His speech therapists and nurses are said to assist with interpreting Mr. Redstone’s more complex statements.  While the video of his testimony will remain confidential, a transcript will be made public.  Also on the witness list is Dr. Stephen L. Read, a psychiatrist who conducted a medical exam of Mr. Redstone in late January and filed a 37-page report; most details were withheld. Before the exam, Dr. Read declared that Mr. Redstone lacked the capacity to make health care decisions.  Another person expected to testify is Keryn Redstone, who in a recent declaration described her grandfather as a “prisoner in his own home.” She also claimed that she and her grandfather had been threatened by her aunt. Shari Redstone has called the claims false.  Ms. Herzer has said the suit is solely about Mr. Redstone’s well-being. She was introduced to him by one of his old friends in 1999, about five years after her bitter divorce from Eric Chamchoum, a Nigerian-born telecommunications executive who is part of a dynastic Lebanese family.  Ms. Herzer was born in born in Buenos Aires, the only daughter in a family with four sons. The family moved to Miami when she was a child. She later studied in Paris, where she met Mr. Chamchoum. The couple moved to Los Angeles.  Their divorce filings, in the Los Angeles court system, are lurid. The case includes well over 1,500 pages, with accusations of physical abuse and tax evasion and assertions by Ms. Herzer that her husband had threatened to abduct their two children and take them to Nigeria. Lawyers came and went.  Her job was listed as a homemaker. His net worth was declared at $2.1 million. Ms. Herzer was awarded monthly spousal support payments of $14,000, but how much she received is unclear. Mr. Chamchoum lived in Nigeria at the time. Ms. Herzer was unable to provide any evidence of abuse.  Over the years, Ms. Herzer has listed her occupation in public records as homemaker, producer and self-employed. She owns property in California, New York and Paris and is also listed as the principal officer of the Herzer Foundation, which has assets of $6 million. It describes its mission as providing financial support for the prevention of childhood diseases and child abuse. Her three adult children are listed as directors.  Former employees of Paramount, the movie and television studio owned by Viacom, described her as a frequent presence on the lot and on the red carpet for movie premieres, charity parties and other social events over the years. Last year, she participated in an interview and photo shoot for a lengthy profile about Mr. Redstone in Vanity Fair.  Two days before Ms. Herzer was ejected from Mr. Redstone’s home in October, she was photographed at a party for the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles with her youngest daughter, Kathrine Herzer, an actor in the CBS drama “Madam Secretary.”  Though they stopped dating early in the 2000s, Mr. Redstone and Ms. Herzer remained close, and in early 2013 she maintained a residence at his mansion at his request, she said in court filings. From 2013 until August 2015, Ms. Herzer said, she helped Mr. Redstone make health care decisions along with his girlfriend at the time, Sydney Holland.  In August, Ms. Holland was ejected from the home after a confession of infidelity. At that point, Ms. Herzer said, she took over the management of Mr. Redstone’s health care. She characterized his health as deteriorating rapidly.  On the morning of Oct. 12, Ms. Herzer was removed from of Mr. Redstone’s home in a scene she described as a tearful frenzy. She has said that she did not know why she had been ejected and was told by Mr. Redstone’s lawyers only that she had “lied” to Mr. Redstone.  Noah Smith contributed reporting from Los Angeles. Doris Burke contributed research.
Mr. Redstone’s former companion, removed from his house and his will, filed a lawsuit challenging his mental competence. The trial is scheduled to begin on Friday.