NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans City Councilmembers Joe Giarrusso and J.P. Morrell issued responses on Friday following the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirming the council’s injunction against the heirs and beneficiaries of the Wisner Trust on Thursday.
“This ruling is not surprising," said District A Councilmember Joe Giarrusso on the ruling that prevents distributions until the trial court reaches a final ruling. "The Council will continue to win on the merits because, legally and factually, there really is nothing left to decide. The trust expired a decade ago and its entire corpus belongs solely to the City of New Orleans.
“We will not stop fighting all defendants until we are made whole, and the Fourth Circuit’s ruling in the Council’s favor only strengthens our resolve,” he added.
The council argues the 100-year Wisner Trust expired in 2014 and all the Wisner lands, some of which host lucrative oil and gas operations at Port Fourchon on the Gulf Coast, were supposed to be turned over to the City of New Orleans a decade ago.
The council is seeking repayment of more than $40 million that according to the city was improperly distributed from the trust during that past decade.
“We will fight the greedy heirs and other defendants in this case until the bitter end if necessary,” said Morrell, Council Vice President. “Their position is completely absurd and laughable. If they are smart, they will concede. If not, we will give them no quarter.”
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