Astor family feud faces partial peek by public

NEW YORK — A judge agreed Tuesday to partly open the court file in the family feud over the care of philanthropist Brooke Astor.

New York Supreme Court Justice John Stackhouse said he would make all documents public except information about the health and care of Astor, 104. Any future testimony about her health also would be kept private.

The judge said the file would stay sealed until 5 p.m. Thursday to give either side a chance to appeal.

Stackhouse sealed the case in July at the request of Astor's grandson, Philip Marshall, after the Daily News reported he had gone to court to remove his father as legal guardian.

Lawyers for The Associated Press, the Daily News, The New York Times and the New York Post challenged the sealing order, arguing the public had a genuine interest in Astor's well-being.

Astor's charitable efforts won her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998.

Marshall has alleged that in recent years his ailing grandmother was reduced to sleeping on a filthy couch to escape a cold bedroom and subsisted on pureed peas and oatmeal, the News reported.

His father, Anthony Marshall, has denied any mistreatment.