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By Joe Flint and Joann S. Lublin 

Viacom Inc.'s lead independent director wants to hear directly from Sumner Redstone about the chaos unfolding in his media empire but so far isn't having success gaining access to the ailing mogul.

In the past week, Mr. Redstone has overhauled his holding company, National Amusements and the trust that will oversee his controlling stakes in Viacom and CBS Corp. when he dies or his incapacitated. He has dismissed two longtime associates and appointed new stewards with ties to his daughter, Shari Redstone.

Board member Fred Salerno has been seeking access to Mr. Redstone, who is mostly housebound at his Beverly Park estate in Los Angeles, through letters to his new attorney, Michael Tu.

Mr. Tu has said a meeting would "need to be considered carefully," given the public statements Viacom has made about Mr. Redstone and his daughter. It wasn't clear which statements he was referencing.

Mr. Salerno, in his latest letter Thursday, said the board is "concerned" about Mr. Redstone and "eager to talk to him face to face." Mr. Salerno noted that as Viacom's lead independent director and chairman of its governance committee, he should have "unfettered and unfiltered access, which has been Sumner's policy in the past."

Mr. Tu has also requested an agenda. In his letter Thursday, Mr. Salerno responded with a touch of sarcasm that the meeting would start with "greetings and pleasantries about our shared experiences over decades together as colleagues."

That would be followed by a "Q&A session" to hear Mr. Redstone's thoughts about Viacom's strategy, including the possible sale of a stake in Paramount Pictures. The mogul has said through his spokesman that he opposes the move. That would be followed by "anything else Sumner would like to share with us" and then "goodbyes," Mr. Salerno wrote.

A spokesman for Mr. Redstone said there would be a response to Mr. Salerno's letter in the near future.

Viacom board members have been attempting to meet with Mr. Redstone for some time. Mr. Redstone had agreed to meet with Mr. Salerno on May 16, but that session was canceled.

Mr. Redstone, who turns 93 on Friday, has suffered health problems that have badly impaired his speech. Earlier this month, in a deposition for a court case challenging his mental competency, Mr. Redstone struggled to respond to questions and failed to spell out words as responses.

Last Friday, Mr. Redstone dismissed Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and board director George Abrams from the seven-member trust and the board of National Amusements.

On Monday, Messrs. Dauman and Abrams filed a suit in Massachusetts against the trust seeking to block their dismissal and accused Ms. Redstone of manipulating her ailing father into making these changes, a charge she has denied.

The complaint said Mr. Redstone is in "the grip of a neurological disorder" characterized by dementia and other conditions and is "unable to initiate or participate in meaningful conversation."

Last fall, Mr. Dauman had described Mr. Redstone as "engaged and attentive" in an affidavit related to the mental-competency case.

Messrs. Dauman and Abrams filed a motion late Wednesday for an immediate hearing on their lawsuit against their dismissal from the trust.

"There can be no doubt that these actions are aimed directly at effectuating control of Viacom," the motion said. Messrs Dauman and Abrams are requesting at least one medical exam of Mr. Redstone and that a trial be held no less than four months from now.

A spokeswoman for Ms. Redstone said, "We are looking forward to an expedited dismissal of this meritless suit."

Write to Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com and Joann S. Lublin at joann.lublin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 26, 2016 15:35 ET (19:35 GMT)

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