Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle

SmashMouth · 07-27-2018, 07:11 PM

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.

Benson did not face questioning from either side’s attorneys. Instead, Reese interviewed Benson at Saints headquarters, which the LeBlancs’ legal team argued was strange, if not unprecedented.

Experts have said the LeBlancs have five years to challenge the validity of a will that Benson’s camp filed in court shortly after his death. The will appears to make Gayle his prime beneficiary and excludes the estranged relatives by name.

Such a challenge would likely revive some of the arguments and evidence that Reese considered.

The will was signed a month after Reese ruled in Benson’s favor. A day after his death, Benson’s camp filed it with Reese.

The Saints on Thursday kicked off their first training camp with Gayle Benson as owner.

read more on The Advocate

jeanpierre · 07-27-2018, 08:34 PM

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...

The Dude · 08-03-2018, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by 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...

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.

44Champs · 08-05-2018, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by 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...

I'm not so aure about your assessment of Rita.. There have been many stories about her being a diva and firing like a million assistants during her tenure with the organization.

Also, if my grandfather were a billionaire and decided to take me out of his will, I wouldn't sue him. What kind of family does this?? Benson is a self-made man and earned every penny that he owns. He can do whatever he wants with his fortune, even if it's done with an "unsound" mind.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

jeanpierre · 08-06-2018, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by 44Champs

I'm not so aure about your assessment of Rita.. There have been many stories about her being a diva and firing like a million assistants during her tenure with the organization.

Also, if my grandfather were a billionaire and decided to take me out of his will, I wouldn't sue him. What kind of family does this?? Benson is a self-made man and earned every penny that he owns. He can do whatever he wants with his fortune, even if it's done with an "unsound" mind.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

I'll respond to that with one name - Greg Bensel...

You want access to the Saints, you write what you're told to write or you're sitting across the street in the Winn Dixie Parking Lot on Airline...

Before Gayle, there were fluff stories about Rita's business saavy and moxie with the Voodoo; all kinds of celebrity pieces in social rags...

Rita was the attractive, saving-grace face, restore the good will look the Saints needed after Tommy tried to move the team Post-Katrina...

Once Rita wasn't needed and Gayle moved in, one-by-one Gayle moved out every person close to Benson not on the Gayle train, and then Rita was done...

And then came the hit pieces, and those writers were suddenly getting access to Payton, Loomis, key team players...

No Rita wasn't a Saint [sic], but she did get out-played by Gayle who used very greedy, shady organization folks who got job security and a little laignappe...

RailBoss · 07-28-2018, 01:15 AM

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

jeanpierre · 07-31-2018, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by RailBoss

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

Early chill for the holidays?

jeanpierre · 08-01-2018, 11:51 PM

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 · 08-03-2018, 12:29 PM

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

Garry42 · 08-03-2018, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by Rugby Saint II

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

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!

07-27-2018, 07:11 PM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,477 Blog Entries: 29	Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle 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. Benson did not face questioning from either side’s attorneys. Instead, Reese interviewed Benson at Saints headquarters, which the LeBlancs’ legal team argued was strange, if not unprecedented. Experts have said the LeBlancs have five years to challenge the validity of a will that Benson’s camp filed in court shortly after his death. The will appears to make Gayle his prime beneficiary and excludes the estranged relatives by name. Such a challenge would likely revive some of the arguments and evidence that Reese considered. The will was signed a month after Reese ruled in Benson’s favor. A day after his death, Benson’s camp filed it with Reese. The Saints on Thursday kicked off their first training camp with Gayle Benson as owner. read more on The Advocate

07-27-2018, 08:34 PM	#2
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle 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...

08-03-2018, 02:07 PM	#3
The Dude 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 9,055	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle Originally Posted by 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... 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. RailBoss, jeanpierre and Garry42 like this.
The Dude 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 9,055

08-05-2018, 11:21 PM	#4
44Champs Site Donor Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,589	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle Originally Posted by 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... I'm not so aure about your assessment of Rita.. There have been many stories about her being a diva and firing like a million assistants during her tenure with the organization. Also, if my grandfather were a billionaire and decided to take me out of his will, I wouldn't sue him. What kind of family does this?? Benson is a self-made man and earned every penny that he owns. He can do whatever he wants with his fortune, even if it's done with an "unsound" mind. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
44Champs Site Donor Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,589

08-06-2018, 11:57 PM	#5
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle Originally Posted by 44Champs I'm not so aure about your assessment of Rita.. There have been many stories about her being a diva and firing like a million assistants during her tenure with the organization. Also, if my grandfather were a billionaire and decided to take me out of his will, I wouldn't sue him. What kind of family does this?? Benson is a self-made man and earned every penny that he owns. He can do whatever he wants with his fortune, even if it's done with an "unsound" mind. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk I'll respond to that with one name - Greg Bensel... You want access to the Saints, you write what you're told to write or you're sitting across the street in the Winn Dixie Parking Lot on Airline... Before Gayle, there were fluff stories about Rita's business saavy and moxie with the Voodoo; all kinds of celebrity pieces in social rags... Rita was the attractive, saving-grace face, restore the good will look the Saints needed after Tommy tried to move the team Post-Katrina... Once Rita wasn't needed and Gayle moved in, one-by-one Gayle moved out every person close to Benson not on the Gayle train, and then Rita was done... And then came the hit pieces, and those writers were suddenly getting access to Payton, Loomis, key team players... No Rita wasn't a Saint [sic], but she did get out-played by Gayle who used very greedy, shady organization folks who got job security and a little laignappe...
	It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

07-28-2018, 01:15 AM	#6
RailBoss 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: South Of The Mason Dixon Line Posts: 7,113	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle Like watching re-runs of Dallas. So who is showing up for the Thanksgiving at the Bensons this year.

07-31-2018, 04:21 PM	#7
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle Originally Posted by RailBoss Like watching re-runs of Dallas. So who is showing up for the Thanksgiving at the Bensons this year. Early chill for the holidays?

08-01-2018, 11:51 PM	#8
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle 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?

08-03-2018, 12:29 PM	#9
Rugby Saint II Bounty Money $$$ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 5800 Airline Dr. Metairie, LA. Posts: 24,117	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle Rita turned out to be a ***** that no one could work with. She went through assistants like Kleenex.

08-03-2018, 01:36 PM	#10
Garry42 Site Donor 2014 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Edmonton, Canada Posts: 785	Re: Outbursts in court, secret recordings: Inside look at Tom Benson family's legal battle Originally Posted by Rugby Saint II Rita turned out to be a ***** that no one could work with. She went through assistants like Kleenex. 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! RailBoss and jeanpierre like this.

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