Family members associated with former Saints and Pelicans Vice Chair Rita Benson LeBlanc on Thursday "filed a lawsuit claiming that the teams' owner and family patriarch Tom Benson is incompetent and is being directed by a manipulative wife and her allies at the highest level of the sports empire," according to a front-page piece by Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. The suit was filed one day after Tom Benson "unexpectedly announced plans to transfer future ownership of the clubs to his wife, Gayle." The lawsuit "seeking to block the succession change" presents "numerous claims that Benson is mentally and physically unfit to manage his personal or business affairs, including other assets in addition to the Saints and Pelicans, car dealerships, banking and real estate." The suit claims the 87-year-old's "declining health is much worse than publicly known and has rendered him unfit to manage his personal affairs or the business of the Saints and Pelicans." The suit portrays Gayle, 67, as a "gold-digging opportunist who has taken advantage of her husband's unfit state of health and ostracized family members in grasping for power and riches." It also asks the court to appoint Tom's daughter, Renee Benson, as executor of his "sports and business ventures, with Benson LeBlanc in a secondary position." Meanwhile, the suit seeks to have Tom "produce medical records for the court and to be examined by an independent geriatric psychiatrist specializing in determining mental capacity." The strained relationship between Gayle Benson and Benson LeBlanc "was a revelation to many of the teams' loyal fans but has been a well-known secret to employees and others close to the team." A Dec. 27 letter "purportedly from Tom Benson to Renee, Rita and Ryan seems to support this sentiment" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/23). The TIMES-PICAYUNE in '09 profiled Benson LeBlanc, who said she was "next in line to take over."
FAMILY FEUD: In New Orleans, White & Russell write a "second drama is playing out that also has the potential to undermine" Tom Benson's effort to "wrest away future control of his sports franchises and award them to his wife." At issue is whether Benson "has the ability to remove the Saints and the Pelicans from the trusts that hold them, which were set up within the last five years" for Benson LeBlanc. Such trusts are "designed to protect heirs from having to pay estate taxes." Because the trusts "are irrevocable, Benson may not, for instance, add his wife as a beneficiary and remove his daughter and grandchildren." Records in the lawsuit filed by Benson’s heirs Thursday "indicate that Benson last week attempted to remove the teams and other assets from the trust and replace them with an unsecured promissory note" for $427M. It is "unclear from the lawsuit whether that was the only asset Benson pledged." That move, "at least temporarily, has been blocked by a Benson-appointed trustee, Bobby Rosenthal." The "standoff over the trust swaps could throw a monkey wrench in the plan Benson announced Thursday" (New Orleans ADVOCATE, 1/23).
BENSON DEEMED "HEALTHY" THIS WEEK: ESPN.com's Mike Triplett cited a source describing Tom Benson as "healthy" on Wednesday night. Saints and Pelicans Exec VP & GM Mickey Loomis and President Dennis Lauscha both "strongly endorsed the ownership transfer in a statement released by the team on Thursday." Sources also have "cited the longstanding friction between Gayle and the family among the reasons for Benson's decision to change the ownership succession plan." Thursday's lawsuit "questioned the authenticity" of Benson's letter to his family and "made several claims that Gayle has taken multiple steps to isolate Benson from his family while increasingly influencing his actions." However, sources throughout the Saints and Pelicans organizations "have widely praised Gayle both on and off the record." Gayle has "been often praised as a positive influence in Tom's growing commitment to New Orleans and increased philanthropic endeavors" (ESPN.com, 1/22). In Baton Rouge, Ramon Antonio Vargas reports in what now "seems a preemptive measure, the Saints and Pelicans have stressed that under Gayle’s eventual ownership, the executive leadership of the franchises" -- headed by Lauscha and Loomis -- "will remain in place" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 1/23).
LEAGUES MUST APPROVE TRANSFER: NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said that any transfer of team ownership "requires approval by three-fourths of the league's owners." In New Orleans, Terrance Harris notes Benson "required and received league approval when he made changes to the succession plan" in '12 and again in '14. A statement from NBA Exec VP/Communications Mike Bass "was much more ambiguous." However, it is "unlikely either the NFL or NBA will give approval until the court proceedings are complete." A couple of issues raised in the lawsuit "might give the NFL and NBA pause in transferring ownership to Gayle, who has been married to Benson" since '04. The lawsuit claims she had a "limited background in running a business before marrying Benson" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/23).
SUPPORTING THE MOVE: Loomis said, “We have nothing but his unequivocal support, and that is important. We have been a successful franchise because of it. Nothing will change with that when Mrs. Benson becomes the owner. That stability creates an environment so that players and coaches want to come here" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 1/23). Saints QB Drew Brees said, "All I can say is I absolutely love Gayle. I think she's one of the sweetest people. I know she's one of our biggest fans. Her presence at practice with Tom all the time and the way she treats the wives and the players, she's first class." Brees "didn't comment" on the report of "struggle within the Benson family." He did say that his relationship with the family "has been good" (New Orleans ADVOCATE, 1/23). Pelicans coach Monty Williams: "I’ve said that since Day 1 when Mr. Benson took over the team, it was the best thing for our team, the best thing for our city. I’m sure when the change becomes official, Mrs. Benson is going to do the same thing what’s best for the team." He added, "You hear about those Southern belle’s, unbelievable nice cordial, always sharply dressed. She’s just a classy lady" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/23).
