On Monday, January 6th, Sheel Kamal Seidler, the widow of late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler, filed a lawsuit against Matthew Seidler and Robert Seidler in an effort to assume control of the franchise, according to Sportico.
In the 97-page lawsuit filed in Texas state probate court, Sheel Seidler alleges the two Seidler brothers infringed on their fiduciary duties as trustees of the Seidler Trust, which controls the Padres.
Sheel’s Allegations
She claims the two, among other things, misappropriated and misused assets that expressly belonged to her and her children. In addition, they’ve “intentionally schemed” to take control of the estate and trusts by engaging in “conflicted transactions” and “self-dealing,” ultimately dissuading Sheel from taking action through intimidation and misdirection.
In the document, it is said that Peter named his brother Robert, followed by Matt and John, as successor trustees of his assets. namely the principal ownership stake of the San Diego Padres. She alleges that this was so Peter’s brothers would “zealously protect and promote Sheel’s interests” for the team. However, following Peter’s unexpected death, she says the brothers began pursuing their own interests. Matt was named trustee over Robert, and John ultimately became the Padres control person.
Overt Prejudice
Additionally, Sheel alleges she and her children have been blocked from the owner’s box at Petco Park and events meant to commemorate her late husband. She indicates this is due to an overt prejudice against her and her family. She notes multiple instances of “racist, profane and hateful communications” directed at Sheel — a woman of Indian descent — made by Robert Seidler’s wife Alicia. In electronic communications Bob was copied in on, Alicia blasted Sheel’s potential for ownership. “Do you really think this family would work for your f***cking purple ass? You are delusional!” Alicia said.
This complaint comes less than a month following the recent announcement of John Seidler acting as the Padres control person. She mentioned in the lawsuit that this came as a complete shock to her. It is a decision she did not support. She notes that the press reports expressing John’s intent on “cutting salary, lowering their expectations, and implicitly abandoning their all-out pursuit of a World Series championship would have been a gut-punch to Peter.”
Matthew Seidler’s Rebuttal
A day after these accusations came to light, on Tuesday, January 7, Matt Seidler delivered an official statement flatly denying all allegations from Sheel Seidler.
“Yesterday, I was deeply saddened to learn that Sheel Seidler, the widow of my brother, Peter Seidler, filed suit in Texas alleging various wrongful acts in the management of Peter’s estate and trust by me and my predecessor trustee, Bob Seidler,” said Matt.
Matt Seidler goes on to call Sheels’s claims “entirely untrue.” He assures fans it will not affect the team’s “great momentum on and off the field in San Diego.” Seidler then goes on to state how he came to be the main trustee citing a “personal health matter” in Robert’s family.
Choosing a Control Person
As far as choosing a control person goes, Matt holds that “Peter never mentioned Sheel as a potential candidate for Control Person to Bob, John, or me.” Additionally, he mentions that Sheel herself signed a document completely contradicting her present actions. The document said she acknowledged having “no right to be or to designate the Control Person.” It added that she would not seek legal help to do so.
Also outlined in Sheel’s lawsuit were allegations that implied Matt Seidler intended to sell and perhaps even relocate the team. Matt calls these claims “laughable” in his response. In bolded and underlined text he writes, “To clarify the record without ambiguity, relocating the Padres from San Diego has never been discussed or contemplated.”
Sheel has made no public comment on Matt’s response.
Other Offseason News
The Padres have had a relatively quiet offseason outside of this event. Since their NLDS loss, they haven’t made any significant lineup acquisitions. This comes despite losing a few key players to free agency, namely Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar.
Most of the Padres’ efforts have been on acquiring Japanese Ace Roki Sasaki. Sasaki was posted to MLB this offseason after playing four seasons for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball. This is the Japanese equivalent to Major League Baseball.
It’s hard to say that following this news the Swinging Friars would be an attractive team to sign with. In the midst of this, the Padres are shopping some of their hottest players. This includes Dylan Cease and three-time batting champion Luis Arráez.
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