News outlets seek to unseal files on Saints owner Tom Benson
News outlets including The Associated Press headed to court Wednesday seeking to unseal court records involving the mental competency of billionaire Tom Benson when he rewrote his will to give his third wife ownership of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans sports franchises. Attorneys for Benson oppose the request to unseal the proceedings, contending Benson's privacy concerns continue even after his 2018 death. Reese dismissed the lawsuit following eight days of testimony, ruling Benson was mentally sound when he ousted his estranged daughter and grandchildren from ownership positions with his teams. Gayle Benson, a devout Catholic with close ties to Archbishop Gregory Aymond, inherited Benson's business empire and has defended the Saint's public relations work on behalf of the cash-strapped archdiocese, which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The team and church leaders have opposed a request by the AP to release thousands of internal emails documenting the public relations work.