re: RIP Tom Benson

quote:

---

The likely contentious question over who will inherit Tom Benson's estimated $3 billion fortune -- including the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, his most high-profile and publicly beloved assets -- will be a key issue in the wake of Benson's death at the age of 90. Benson, who died Thursday (March 15), had said he intended to leave the teams to his wife, Gayle Benson.

But a long-running family fight over Benson's empire, including the Saints and Pelicans, could reignite in the settling of his estate in court in New Orleans. Details of how Benson decided to pass on his estate, and whether his estranged heirs would challenge the validity of his will, have yet come to light.

The uncertainty goes back to a surprise announcement Benson made in January 2015. Then 87, Benson said he had disowned his granddaughter Rita LeBlanc -- the heir-apparent to the Saints who had been groomed since childhood to one day lead the team -- along with her brother Ryan LeBlanc and their mother Renee Benson, Tom Benson's only surviving child. Benson said in cutting ties with his would-be heirs, he was instead leaving his teams, auto dealerships, real estate and bank holdings to his third wife, Gayle Benson, whom he married in 2004. Benson said the switch was intended to "ensure the long-term stability and success" of the sports franchises and his other interests.

Documents later revealed in court included a 149-word letter Benson had sent to Renee, Rita and Ryan, stating that since he married Gayle, they had become "offensive" and "did not act in an appropriate manner," creating an unpleasant family and causing him "heartbreak."

Renee, Rita and Ryan - the "Three R's" as some people called them - responded by filing a lawsuit in Civil District Court in New Orleans claiming that Benson was mentally and physically unfit to manage his own affairs.

---