The order comes as part of a lawsuit against Benson, who also
owns the National Basketball Association's New Orleans Pelicans,
from his daughter and two grandchildren, who were removed as heirs
in December and are now challenging Benson's mental competency.
Benson, who built his fortune through auto dealerships and banks,
said he decided to alter his succession plan for the pro sports
franchises to place his third wife, Gayle Benson, in control.
Under Tuesday's ruling by Orleans Parish Civil Judge Kern Reese, the
doctors determining Benson's competency are to be selected by Feb.
25, and complete their assessment by March 13.
Benson, who has owned the National Football League's Saints since
1985 and the Pelicans since 2012, said poor treatment of his current
wife contributed to the removal of his grandchildren from the estate
plan.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Feb/11/images/ads/current/charrons_bch041713.png) Relatives, including daughter Renee LeBlanc, granddaughter Rita and
grandson Ryan, want to have Benson ruled mentally unfit to oversee
his fortune and the two sports franchises.
Benson said Tuesday he was "extremely disappointed" in the lawsuits
filed in Texas and Louisiana by his family "but it has only
strengthened my resolve to defend what I have built over the last
fifty plus years."
"The decisions I have made are well within my rights to make at any
point in my life, and rest assured that I am making sound
decisions," he said in a statement.
Benson's lawyers termed the examination a "fishing expedition" and a
"shotgun search" that heirs were hoping would turn up something they
can use to take control of the teams.
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"He's made a reasoned decision to exclude his daughter and his
granddaughter from his life," Benson lawyer Phil Wittmann told
reporters outside the courthouse.
"He conveyed it to them clearly and consistently and has told that
to everyone who has talked to him since December 27."
A Texas judge on Monday appointed two receivers to help Benson
manage a family trust, citing recent decisions that Renee Benson
said were diminishing the value of her inheritance.
When asked just before the Feb. 1 Super Bowl, NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell said he was confident of Benson's stewardship of the Saints,
adding that the owner has "complete control over what he's doing."
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Bill Trott
and Eric Walsh)
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