Wife of late Padres owner Peter Seidler sues for control of team

Sheel Seidler, widow ofSan Diego Padres chairman Peter Seidler, sued two of his brothers on Monday in an attempt to become the team’s controlling person.

In a complaint filed in Texas probate court, Sheel Seidler claims she and her three children have been “effectively ostracized” from the organization since Death of Peter Seidler 14 months ago. The suit names Robert and Matthew Seidler as defendants, and accuses the brothers of “breach of trust, fraud, conversion and gross self-dealing” in their roles as executors and administrators of Peter Seidler’s estate.

The Padres announced on December 21 that Peter’s oldest brother, John Seidler, would become the team’s controller, which Sheel opposed, claiming went against her late husband’s wishes.

In a statement, Sheel called her complaint “a very last resort” to “protect my family and continue to carry out Peter’s legacy.”

“(ONE)is the holder of the largest individual ownership interest in the San Diego Padres and the sole beneficiary of the Seidler Trusts, which hold exclusive rights with respect to control of the franchise, I am seeking to be appointed as controller of the Padres,” Sheel Seidler wrote as part of his statement.

A Padres spokesman declined to comment, citing the team’s position regarding pending legal matters. Representatives for Robert and Matthew Seidler could not immediately be reached for comment. A Major League Baseball official also declined comment.

Peter Seidler, a two-time cancer survivor, died of complications from an infection on November 14, 2023, leaving behind Sheel and their children, now ages 4, 9 and 11. Eric Kutsenda, a longtime friend and business partner, was named interim controller before essentially handing over responsibility to John Seidler 13 months later.

Sheel Seidler’s complaint seeks assurances from Peter’s brothers that they would act in favor of Sheel, and the children have “proved to be hollow” in the wake of his death.

Matthew and Robert Seidler “have not only disregarded the clear terms and purposes of the will and trust instrument that Peter created, but they have also knowingly planned to take the estate and the Seidler trusts’ valuable rights and assets,” the complaint states . “They have done so by misleading Sheel, engaging in conflicted transactions and egregious self-dealing, and when Sheel began to express concern and question their actions, they responded by belittling and attempting to intimidate her – including using trust assets to paying lawyers to threaten her into submission and silence.”

“They are attempting to erase Peter’s vision and legacy,” reads another part of the complaint, “as well as falsely portraying themselves as Peter’s true heirs.”

Under Peter Seidler, the Padres became a financial juggernaut, signing and retaining stars and placing the club alongside big spenders such as New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. Fans rallied around the team and set attendance records at Petco Park.

Peter Seidler, grandson of prominent former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, was part of a group that bought the Padres in 2012 and assumed the role of chairman eight years later, becoming the organization’s largest stakeholder. The pinnacle of Peter’s ownership arrived in October 2022, when the Padres defeated the rival Dodgers—once considered by Peter to be “the dragon up the highway that we’re trying to slay”—in the National League Division Series before being eliminated the following round.

In the first offseason after Seidler’s death, the Padres, who by then had lost their local media contract through Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy proceedings, cut payroll by about a third.

Padres general manager AJ Preller nonetheless fielded a competitive team in 2024 that won 93 games, reached the playoffs for the third time in five years, and nearly defeated the Dodgers in the NLDS again.

Seidler often expressed his hope to bring San Diego, a city that lost its NFL team, its first championship. Sheel Seidler believes she is the person who can help bring that dream to life.

“While the kids and I feel Peter’s absence every day, our collective devotion to this team is stronger than ever,” Sheel Seidler wrote. “Peter and I always planned to one day leave the team to the children. That remains my firm commitment. In the meantime, it is my intention to build on the many recent successes by investing in both the short and long term. term future of the franchise and ensure, that our dream of more championships will be fulfilled.”

John Seidler’s appointment as controller still awaits approval from three-quarters of MLB’s owners. A vote is not planned, but can take place already at the upcoming owners’ meetings in February.

Sheel Seidler’s complaint alleges that she and her three children are not welcome in the ownership suite during games, and that Robert and Matthew Seidler have gone so far as to “inform Padres employees that Sheel is not an owner of the team and that her presence and input are not welcome in interactions with free agents and current players.”

Sheel Seidler also claims to have been barred from charity events meant to mark Peter Seidler’s legacy.

The complaint includes what is said to be a handwritten note from Peter Seidler outlining the priorities for the controller in the event of his death, with Sheel and the children at the top.

Sheel Seidler and the children own about a quarter of the Padres, meeting MLB’s requirement of at least 15% of the stock to qualify as a controlling person. But Matthew and Robert Seidler have “frozen out Sheel,” according to the complaint, “depriving her of the benefits of being the largest beneficial owner of the baseball team while they themselves enjoy the benefits.”