hagan714

Benson's daughter and granddaughter testified in court Tuesday, for hours.

NEW ORLEANS - Personal testimony filled the day at the interdiction trial of New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson Tuesday.

His daughter, Renee Benson spent five hours on the witness stand. It's the second time Renee has had to testify in the high-stakes family feud.

In a San Antonio hearing about moves to swap assets in her trust, Renee described a relationship with her father that had been falling apart over the past several years, with little contact leading up to Tom Benson's decision to fire her from his businesses, sending her and her children an email saying he wanted them out of his life.

Monday was the first time the heirs had been in the same room as Tom Benson since that highly-publicized email went out just days after Christmas, according to their attorney Randy Smith.

"The whole thing is hard," Smith said Tuesday.

Tom Benson entered the Civil District Courthouse Tuesday asking reporters, "How y'all doing?" Seeming in good spirits during the first two days of the trial, he remarked at one point Monday that he wanted to give the cameras a smile.

After Renee Benson wrapped up her testimony mid-afternoon Tuesday, Rita Benson LeBlanc took the stand. In recent years, she had been publicly groomed as Benson's heir-apparent to take over the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. In fact, her attorney said she had even been fully vetted by the National Football League to run the football team.

That all changed in December when Benson decided he wanted his heirs out of the family businesses, instead wanting to hand the reins of his empire over to his wife Gayle.

Rita Benson LeBlanc is expected to re-take the witness stand on Wednesday morning for cross-examination.

Benson heirs take stand in day 2 of competency trial

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

jeanpierre

This just wreaks golddigger...

How does an old man dismiss his family by email?!?

Don't trust Renee Benson to do what's in the best interest of New Orleans Saints fans, but I like our chances with Gayle less...

SmashMouth

jeanpierre

Smash, don't care which opinion any have formed, even those still on the fence, but that emoticon sums it up dead-on...

And if Saints fans don't consider it important, I've got beach-front in Kansas I'd like to broker them...

44Champs

You know what - screw Renee and Rita and their spoiled a$$es. TB bought and built this business while they were still crapping in their diapers. If my grandfather had a business, then he hired me, then he fired me - for whatever reason - no way could I be such a slimeball to sue him and take him to court. It's his company - he can do whatever he wants with it. It's also his money, so if he wants to take away my trust fund, then oh well. This is just another example of spoiled rich kids trying to ride the coattails of someone else's blood, sweat, tears and money

Rugby Saint II

Money just brings out the worst in most people.

jeanpierre

Amen, Rugs, Amen...

saintfan

Right up and until he created those trusts. And HE created them, and he did so for financial reasons. Purely.

Hey I get where you're coming from, but it's just not as cut and dry as you represent. It may very well be another example of spoiled rich kids - I don't think many would argue that - however they do make a compelling case. Accurate or not I have no idea, but plausible to be sure.

QBREES9

hagan714

screw them all and sell stock to saints fans. we should own this team