A Los Angeles judge has appointed a temporary conservator to look after Eagles co-founder Randy Meisner amid concerns for his mental state after he allegedly threatened to commit a murder-suicide in January.
The rocker's friend, James Newton, first raised concerns about the bassist's welfare in April, when he filed papers for a conservatorship regarding both personal and financial matters, claiming the star had become a victim of spousal abuse and was being kept in a constantly drunken state by his wife, Lana.
At the time, Meisner dismissed the accusations and suggested Newton was just trying to "get the money", but during a hearing at Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, the musician's former lawyer, Troy Martin, revealed his client had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder on more than one occasion and suffers from "suicidal ideations".
Recalling one incident at a hospital in January, he continued, "[Meisner] threatened to gun everyone down with an AK-47", even though he was not in possession of a firearm at the time.
Martin admitted Meisner had also reportedly threatened to take his own life by overdosing on pills.
Both Newton and Martin went on to allege his wife, Lana, has been in denial about his deteriorating mental health and has failed to help him conquer alleged addiction issues.
The 68 year old was in court to contest the claims, but only spoke to confirm his age, while Meisner's lawyer insisted reports about the star's mental condition have been "widely overblown", reports the New York Daily News.
Judge David Cunningham subsequently agreed to appoint professional conservator Frumeh Labow to the case and give Meisner 24-hour supervision, stating, "If I'm going to err... it's going to be on the side of protecting Mr. Meisner. If it's overkill, it's overkill."
The two sides have agreed to attempt mediation talks prior to a follow-up hearing in September.
WENN.com