-->

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Benson settlement do-over and over and over

They're gonna try again to keep from having to go to trial
Both sides in the lawsuit over the Benson's family trusts say they are close to finalizing a settlement, according to filings they made Wednesday (Nov. 16) in federal court. They're asking U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to give them more time to complete reports she has required.

After a family fallout that went public in early 2015, Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson sought to remove ownership shares of the teams from the inheritance of his daughter Renee Benson and grandchildren Rita and Ryan LeBlanc. He instead wants to give control of the franchises to his wife, Gayle. Trustees for the heirs are challenging the asset swap Tom Benson has offered, suggesting it doesn't equal the value of the team shares.

Attorneys for Benson and the heirs executed a memorandum of understanding in June ahead of a scheduled court date, saying they were working on a settlement. Milazzo took the case off her calendar but two months later set a Feb. 6 trial date after deeming progress on the settlement was insufficient. Along with this she included deadlines for expert reports and depositions.
Still isn't clear what Benson can offer the trustees that approaches the value of the sports teams.  Also if you are a pro sports fan or just a resident of any city holding a high public investment in a major league franchise, you're still rooting for this to go to trial where the teams' confidential financial information would (possibly) be made public.

Meanwhile the Saints are getting ready to play Game 10 tonight in Carolina.  I wish I'd made more time to write about the games this year. There might be an opportunity to get caught up a bit soon now that the election is over.  Anyway, we've been going to the Dome as usual this season and it has been pretty good.  The team isn't tearing up the league or anything but the football is quite watchable. I think we picked 7-9 on the fake radio show a few months back. That's still what it looks like now. Chance to pull back to .500 tonight. Should be fun.

No comments: