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It was the 2014 Christmas season, and 87-year-old Tom Benson was growing more forgetful, thanks in part to pain medication he was taking after a series of recent knee surgeries.

Family tensions were running high, too. Rita LeBlanc, Benson’s granddaughter, had been feuding with his wife, Gayle. It had gotten so bad that Gayle had written up a list reminding the twice-widowed Benson why he should be aggrieved – not just toward Rita, but also his grandson Ryan and his daughter Renee.



Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the family patriarch, Rita had secretly recorded a conversation she had with him about why her mother, Renee, had contacted Benson’s bookkeeper directly, instead of going through him.

It was amid this poisonous climate that the owner of the NFL’s Saints and NBA’s Pelicans finally decided to cut out the “3 R’s” – Rita, Renee and Ryan – and make Gayle the heir to his billion-dollar business empire.

The move, which seemed sudden to the public, kicked off a convoluted legal battle pitting Benson against his daughter and her children, who once had been in position to inherit everything but were now fired from their jobs and cut off from the head of their family.

The most bitter episode of the saga was their unsuccessful attempt to convince a New Orleans civil court judge that he should restore their standing with Benson on the grounds that he was too mentally enfeebled to alter his succession plans.

That case largely played out in secret. Judge Kern Reese prohibited attorneys from speaking about it, and the proceedings included a highly unusual, closed-door trial that took place over eight days in June 2015. Nearly all of the pleadings were kept under seal.

Reese ultimately ruled against the LeBlancs and in favor of Benson, the state’s richest man. Two higher courts left that decision in place, paving the way for Gayle to take over the Saints and Pelicans following her husband’s death in March at age 90.

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jeanpierre

Rita may be a twit, but she got played by a smarter gold digger in Gayle; don't buy for one minute what the local, intimidate media pitches...

Rita was used as the kinder, warmer future face of the franchise by her grandfather after his gaffe trying to move the team post-Katrina...

Rita was promised running the team and the old man, swayed by types like Lauscha, Loomis, Bensel, was convinced to renege on that promise...

Rita is full of passion, spirit and that was used against her. Renee Benson is an imbecile for not advising her daughter better in this power game...

Look at the judges that oversaw the case at ever level, obvious conflicts of interests, the biased procedural moves - the LA judicial system is overtly corrupt...

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

RailBoss

Like watching re-runs of Dallas.
So who is showing up for the Thanksgiving at the Bensons this year.

jeanpierre

Early chill for the holidays?

jeanpierre

You know, Gayle's no spring chicken; why no published reports re: Saints Ownership A.G.? Does the NFL have that transition plan on file?

Rugby Saint II

Rita turned out to be a ***** that no one could work with. She went through assistants like Kleenex.

Garry42

Fair enough.....but I'm not sure that Tom or Gayle were any "walk in the park" either. This whole thing is just sad on so many levels. At the end of the day my only concern is that we have stability within the ownership. Seems to be the case, but really....who knows!

The Dude

I think Gayle took that old man for everything he’s worth. “A list of why he should be aggrieved “? Come on.
I know people don’t want to hear it because they think Gayle is more likely to keep the team in New Orleans but it’s true. That’s really all I care about anyway.
Don’t think Gayle is some sweet old lady who just wanted what was best for her husband.

jeanpierre

First hand knowledge or planted stories by Team Gayle/Bensel?

The Dude

I’m glad Gayle has it. I think the team is more secure in New Orleans in her hands than Rita’s. I have no doubt Rita would have moved them first chance she got. I am not buying into the illusion that Gayle had Benson’s best interest in hand for one second.