On February 9, a judge in Bexar County, Texas ruled that Saints owner Tom Benson needed assistance in managing his assets and appointed two people to do that while Benson and members of his family continue their litigation in New Orleans over Benson’s decision to change his will to keep them from taking over the Saints.
Benson’s attorneys filed a request on Monday asking the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio to speed up the 60-day briefing process as they try to get the decision overturned. They cited the significant costs of nearly $20,000 a day being paid to the two men appointed to oversee the trust, ex-San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger and San Antonio lawyer Art Bayern, and a failure to consider other remedies in their argument.
That request was denied on Thursday by a panel of judges, although they said that requests to extend the timeline would be frowned upon.
“Any such motion must provide evidence of extraordinary circumstances justifying the extension,” the order said, via the New Orleans Advocate.
Three physicians were chosen Wednesday in Louisiana to do a court-mandated mental evaluation of Benson, whose daughter and grandchildren contend he is not in sound mind to be making a decision to make business decisions.