NEW ORLEANS -- Tom Benson literally wrote his daughter and grandchildren out of his will after a feud splintered what once seemed to be a tight-knit family at the helm of the city’s two major sports franchises.
Benson died Thursday at the age of 90. His will, which was filed in Orleans Parish Civil Court Friday evening, was signed in July 2015, just more than a month after a judge found him mentally competent to handle his own affairs.
Among the witnesses to that signing was New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond, a close confidant of Benson and his wife, Gayle.
The document solidifies who Tom Benson considered closest among his inner circle and reiterated that his daughter, Rene Benson, and grandchildren Rita LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc would not get another cent of his money.
The will at one point notes, "I specifically provide that Renee Benson, Rita LeBlanc, Ryan LeBlanc, and all of their descendants shall have no interest in my succession whatsoever, and no legacy or other inheritance or benefit of any kind shall be paid to any of them under this will or otherwise."
Benson, however, said after he removed them from his business leadership team that the three would be “very well taken care of after I die.”
The document spells out that he would leave his property to a trust and that he wanted Gayle Benson to have sole power over the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. That was an expected move, given the nature of the legal battle the family went through three years ago after Benson ousted his relatives from the family business.
The family feud partially stemmed from an argument between Gayle Benson and Rita LeBlanc during a Saints game in 2014. Rene Benson, Rita LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc later described Tom Benson as being mentally unfit to remove them as heirs so he could leave his fortune and sports empire to his wife.
According to the will, if the trust formed the same day the document was signed ceases to exist, all of his property would go into another trust run by Gayle and his trusted lieutenant, Saints and Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha, with Gayle having exclusive voting power in matters concerning the sports franchises.
The will also singles out Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and longtime Benson spokesman Greg Bensel for potential roles. Both men would serve as co-executors of Benson's estate if both Lauscha and Gayle Benson become "unwilling or unable" to serve in their capacities for any reason, with Loomis having the final say on any matters on which the two men disagree.
Louisiana law empowers relatives to contest wills on various grounds, including that the deceased was mentally incapacitated or subject to undue influence in making it. The attorney for Benson's jilted relatives, Randy Smith, has not indicated whether his clients intend to pursue that option, The New Orleans Advocate reported.
Benson's visitation is set for Wednesday and Thursday at Notre Dame Seminary. A funeral Mass will be said Friday at St. Louis Cathedral. Attendance is by invitation only.