Wife of late Padres owner sues for control of team

Sheel Seidler, the widow of late San Diego Padres chairman Peter Seidler, filed suit against two of his brothers Monday in an attempt to become the team's control person.

In a complaint filed in Texas court, Sheel Seidler claimed she and her three children have been "effectively ostracized" from the organization since Peter Seidler's death 14 months ago. The suit names Robert and Matthew Seidler as defendants, accusing the two brothers of "fiduciary breaches of trust, fraud, conversion and egregious acts of self-dealing" in their roles as trustees and executors of Peter Seidler's trusts.

The Padres announced Dec. 21 that Peter's oldest brother, John Seidler, would become the team's control person, which Sheel opposed and claims to have gone against her late husband's wishes.

"[A]s the holder of the largest individual ownership stake in the San Diego Padres, and the sole beneficiary of the Seidler Trusts, which possesses exclusive rights with respect to control of the franchise, I am seeking to be named the control person of the Padres," Sheel Seidler wrote as part of a statement.

A spokesperson for the Padres declined comment, citing the team's stance for pending legal matters. Representatives for Robert and Matthew Seidler could not immediately be reached for comment.

Peter Seidler, a two-time cancer survivor, died from complications of an infection on Nov. 14, 2023, leaving behind Sheel and their three children, now ages 4, 9 and 11. Eric Kutsenda, a longtime friend and business partner, was named interim control person until essentially turning responsibilities over to John Seidler 13 months later.

Sheel Seidler's complaint claims that assurances from Peter's four brothers that they would act for the benefit of Sheel and the children have "shown to be hollow" in the wake of his passing.

Matthew and Robert Seidler "not only disregarded the clear terms and purpose of the will and trust instrument that Peter created, but they also intentionally schemed to take for themselves the estate and Seidler trusts' value rights and assets," the complaint read. "They have done so by misleading Sheel, engaging in conflicted transactions and egregious acts of self-dealing, and when Sheel began expressing concern and questioning their actions, they responded by demeaning and attempting to intimidate her -- including by using trust assets to pay lawyers to threaten her into submission and silence."

"They are trying to erase Peter's vision and legacy, as well as falsely cast themselves as Peter's true heirs," another part of the complaint read.

Under Peter Seidler, the Padres transformed themselves into a financial juggernaut, signing and retaining big stars and placing themselves atop big spenders like the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fans thusly rallied around the team, setting attendance records at Petco Park.

The pinnacle of Seidler's ownership tenure arrived in October of 2022, when the Padres defeated the rival Dodgers -- once deemed by Peter as "the dragon up the freeway 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 that point had lost their local-media contract through Diamond Sports Group's bankruptcy proceedings, decreased payroll by about a third.

Padres general manager A.J. Preller nonetheless fielded a highly competitive team in 2024 that won 93 games, made the playoffs for the third time in five years and almost defeated the Dodgers in the NLDS once 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 to help bring that dream to fruition.

"While the children and I feel Peter's absence every day, our collective devotion to this team is stronger than ever," Sheel Seidler wrote in a statement. "Peter and I always planned, one day, to leave the team to the children. That remains my steadfast commitment. In the meantime, it is my intention to build upon the many recent successes, investing in both the short-term and long-term future of the franchise, and ensuring our dream of multiple championships is fulfilled."

John Seidler's appointing as control person is still pending the approval of three-quarters of Major League Baseball's owners. A vote hasn't been scheduled but could take place as early as the upcoming owners' meetings in February.

Sheel Seidler's complaint alleges that she and her three children are not welcomed at the Padres' 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 interacting with free agents and current players."

Sheel Seidler also claims to have been excluded from charitable events meant to mark Peter Seidler's legacy.

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

Sheel Seidler and the three children own approximately one quarter of the Padres, according to the complaint. But Matthew and Robert Seidler have "frozen Sheel out" and "deprived her of the benefits of being the largest beneficial owner of the baseball team, while themselves enjoying the benefits," the complaint read.