Casey Kasem's Children Sue Widow Over Death

Three of radio personality Casey Kasem's children and his brother have claimed elder abuse by his widow led to his death last year.

They have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court which accuses Jean Kasem of inflicting emotional distress on them by restricting access to their father.

"Casey's early death occurred as a direct and proximate result of Jean's neglect and physical abuse of Casey," the lawsuit states.

The longtime "American Top 40" host and voice of Shaggy in Scooby-Doo had a form of dementia and a severe bedsore when he died at age 82.

Kerri, Julie and Michael Kasem are joined in the lawsuit by their uncle, Mouner. They are seeking more than $250,000 (£166,000), although a jury would have to decide any damage award.

Jean and Casey Kasem were married for 30 years

Prosecutors earlier this year declined to charge Jean Kasem with elder abuse, a decision that Kerri Kasem said led to her family filing the civil case.

"We would rather see her in jail than receive one dime," Kerri Kasem said. "We don't care about the money. We care about justice."

The lawsuit follows years of legal wrangling between Jean Kasem, who was married to the star for 30 years, and her husband's children from a previous marriage.

The sides fought over visitation access before Kasem's death in June 2014, with Kerri Kasem assuming control of his medical care.

Jean Kasem lost control after she moved her husband from a hospital in California to a friend's home in Washington state - a decision she said she made to protect his privacy.

The lawsuit also details numerous confrontations about Kasem's care, and it states Jean Kasem transported his body to Norway where it was buried in an unmarked grave.

That was despite Casey Kasem's wishes to be buried at a cemetery in Los Angeles, it states.

The lawsuit states the Kasem's children and brother are seeking "fair recompense for the suffering they personally endured from witnessing the abuse and its painful and damaging physical effect on their beloved father and brother, and the gross treatment and disposition of Casey Kasem's remains in an unmarked grave in a distant land unknown to him or his family."

"What she did to my father is reprehensible," Kerri Kasem said. "It's disgusting. It's horrific."

Jean Kasem has not commented on the lawsuit.