July Trial Date Vacated In Court Battle Over Denver Broncos Ownership

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - The Denver Broncos ownership trial was vacated on Tuesday afternoon, less than two weeks before it was set to begin. The case pits the two eldest daughters of late owner Pat Bowlen and the trio of trustees who have run the team for the last seven years.

Court records show the trial was vacated after a hearing on Tuesday morning. In some cases, a trial is vacated because the parties have decided to pursue a settlement.

The trust was empowered in 2009 to designate Bowlen's successor upon his death or incapacity. Bowlen stepped down in 2013 because of Alzheimer's and he died in 2019 a few weeks before of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bowlen's two eldest daughters from his first marriage — Beth Bowlen Wallace, 49, and Amie Klemmer, 51 — along with their uncle, Bill Bowlen, have contended in court documents that Pat Bowlen was diagnosed with Alzheimer's long before he signed his updated trust in 2009 and they want the trustees removed.

The trustees -- team president/CEO Joe Ellis, team counsel Rich Slivka and Denver attorney Mary Kelly -- and the lawyer who prepared Pat Bowlen's estate plan have said in response that Pat Bowlen knew what he was doing when he signed the documents in 2009.

The trial was set to begin on July 12. CBS4 has reached out to the attorneys involved for comment regarding the possibility of a settlement agreement.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)