Pelicans owner Benson details his side of family dispute

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In a court deposition, Tom Benson said he ousted his daughter and grandchildren from executive positions in the Saints and Pelicans after a confrontation turned physical between his daughter, Renee, and his wife, Gayle.

The deposition, filed in federal court in New Orleans this week, was taken in late March at Benson’s offices in suburban New Orleans. It’s part of a federal lawsuit over Benson’s decision to remove his family members’ shares in his NBA and NFL franchises from a trust and substitute other assets.

Benson said in the deposition that his daughter and two grandchildren “tried to kill me” by picking on his wife and behaving in a hostile manner.

Randy Smith, an attorney for Renee and her children, Ryan and Rita LeBlanc, strongly denied that the alleged confrontation occurred.

“It’s sad that he would think that, that somehow that would be in his memory because it didn’t happen, just like his family did not try to kill him,” Smith said. “All they’re trying to do is protect him, make sure he gets the medical care, love and support that he needs.”

Benson said the hostility included a 2014 confrontation in his …

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