quote:
The heirs of the late philanthropist Edward Wisner asked the Louisiana Supreme Court on Thursday to reconsider its ruling earlier this month that effectively hands over millions of dollars in annual proceeds from lucrative a oilfield to the City of New Orleans.

In a court filing late Tuesday afternoon, the Wisner heirs asked the court to reconsider its 5-2 ruling to not review a lower court's ruling against the heirs, writing that the "extraordinary circumstances" necessitate reconsidering that decision.

The heirs said there was a "broad divergence of opinion among the justices" in their initial review of the writ and that only Justice Michael Guidry offered an opinion on the merits. They also warn that "protracted federal litigation" would follow if the court declines to review lower courts' rulings, which they argue would deny their right to due process and equal protection.

The Louisiana Supreme Court's Oct. 6 decision paved the way for the city to potentially receive $3 million per year from oilfield land in Port Fourchon, which comes as the city struggles to fill a $77 million budget deficit.

After the Oct. 6 ruling, the Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso said the city wouldn't log the additional revenue in the books until the Wisner heirs exhausted their legal options, as the city expected them to ask for a rehearing.

LINK

I have been following this saga for years now. And it's a nice non-partisan topic for us all to chat about without bickering.

A very quick rundown of this whole Wisner Trust debacle (to the best of my understanding):

The Wisner Trust was established in the 1910s by Edward Wisner to benefit the City of New Orleans, Charity Hospital (now LSU), Tulane, the Salvation Army, and “the Wisner Ladies” (his widow and daughters) using revenues from valuable land he donated. The trust was set to expire after 100 years.

The Wisner Trust officially expired on August 4, 2014, marking the completion of its original 100-year term . When that happened, Edward Wisner’s will explicitly decreed that all the trust’s property and rights would revert fully to the City of New Orleans as the sole owner.

In 2020, Mayor Cantrell secretly signed a “2020 Ratification, Extension, Modification & Amendment Agreement” with the other beneficiaries (Tulane, LSU, Salvation Army, and Wisner heirs). This Permanently extended the Wisner Trust beyond its original August 4, 2014, expiration, Transformed all income beneficiaries into principal beneficiaries, effectively blocking the City of New Orleans from receiving full ownership of the trust land and revenues upon its expiration, and Shifted governance from a public advisory committee to a private board, removing transparency and accountability.

The City Council sued when this secret agreement was discovered. Orleans Parish Civil District Court invalidated the 2020 extension in May 2025, declaring it null and void and reaffirming the 2014 termination, returned full ownership and benefits of the trust to the City of New Orleans.

The heirs are begging the court to maintain their share in the expired trust. I would love to know who they are.