SAN DIEGO (AP) — One of the brothers sued by the wife of late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler for control of the team says her allegations of wrongdoing are untrue.
Sheel Seidler sued brothers-in-law Matthew and Robert Seidler on Monday, attempting to prevent another brother, John, from taking control of the team rather than her. Sheel alleged Peter Seidler, who died at age 63 on Nov. 14, 2023, wanted her to succeed him as the team's control person.
“Sheel’s claims against Bob and me are entirely untrue, and we will vigorously defend ourselves against them,” Matthew Seidler said in a letter posted Tuesday on the website of the Peter Seidler Trust. “The false accusations in her complaint will not distract the Padres organization from continuing its great momentum on and off the field in San Diego.”
The suit comes while the Padres are among the teams recruiting Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki.
In a petition filed in Travis County Probate Court in Austin, Texas, Sheel Seidler sued Matthew, who became executor of Peter Seidler’s estate last year, and Robert, the prior executor. She claimed fiduciary breaches of trust, fraud, conversion and egregious acts of self-dealing.
“Peter left the designation of the next permanent control person in the hands of the trustee of his trust, rather than naming a specific individual,” Matthew Seidler wrote. “Peter named three of his siblings to serve as his successor trustees in this order: first Bob, then me, and then our oldest brother John. ... Bob resigned as trustee in May of 2024 due to a personal health matter in his family, a situation which Sheel has sadly attempted to exploit. Upon Bob’s resignation, I became the trustee.”
San Diego said on Dec. 21 that John will become the control person, a move that Major League Baseball owners have not yet approved. The Seidler brothers are grandsons of late Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley
“She may be disappointed that Peter did not designate her as the trustee of his trust, name her as the Padres’ control person, and/or give her the right to approve the control person. Had Peter intended any of these things, he could have easily made that intention clear in the governing documents,” Matthew Seidler wrote. “John has a lifelong history of involvement with baseball and decades of accomplishment as a founder and operator of successful businesses. ... I believe his business experience, proven leadership qualities, and love for the Padres equip him to guide the team as Peter’s successor. We have every reason to believe John’s appointment will be welcomed by the other Padres owners and expeditiously approved by MLB and the owners of the other MLB clubs.”
Matthew denied an allegation in Sheel's petition that “Matt’s efforts to promote his brother John as control person and to block Sheel may well be part of his efforts to sell, and perhaps relocate, the team, over Sheel’s strident objections.”
“This is completely false. It is also laughable,” Matthew wrote. “To clarify the record without ambiguity, relocating the Padres from San Diego has never been discussed or contemplated.”
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