NEW ORLEANS, La. (WGNO)- Sealed court documents of billionaire Tom Benson could have been opened and released to the public today but, a judge denied the motion.
On Wednesday morning, The Associated Press along with other news media were asking, Judge Kern Reese to consider releasing the transcripts involving the mental state of Benson before his death.
The Associated Press is arguing that the public has a right to know what happened behind closed doors.
The unsealed court records are those involving the mental state of the billionaire saints owner–Tom Benson, when he rewrote his will and gave his third wife the team, also giving her the Pelicans franchise.
It’s been five years since the original court proceeding took place and two years since Benson passed.
On the opposing side, attorneys for Benson stated it’s a HIPPA violation with privacy concerns to release the sealed documents that dug into Benson’s medical records.
The Associated Press says, they did not want to relive the issue but, the media and the public have a vested interest in the ownership of the teams and the testimonies of Benson’s action that were given but, they agree that the personal medical information could be cropped out.
After hearing both sides of the argument, Judge Kern explained that if they were to crop out the medical documents, about 95 percent of the report would be erased. Also saying, that it would present a misleading view of the original purpose.
In the end, Judge Kern denied the motion to unseal the reports.
Judge Kern explained that, nothing has changed and the purposed was to inform medical professional of Benson’s mental state and that it would be wrong to release the info without Benson’s permission.
