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The legal saga between members of the Seidler family took another step Thursday.
A motion was filed in Texas in response to the lawsuit brought there last week by Sheel Seidler, the widow of late Padres chairman Peter Seidler.
The motion, filed on behalf of Seidler Kutsenda Management Company, seeks to have some of the allegations Sheel Seidler made in her lawsuit decided by an arbitrator. The request was made based on the fact Seidler Kutsenda Management Company (SKMC) had already petitioned for those claims to go to arbitration in California.
Thursday’s motion does not mention the Padres nor the portions of Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit that include her attempt to remove Matt Seidler from his position as trustee of Peter Seidler’s trusts.
Sheel Seidler’s complaint, filed Jan. 6, claims Peter Seidler’s brothers, Matt and Robert Seidler, in their roles as trustees of her late husband’s trusts, breached their fiduciary responsibilities to her as beneficiary of those trusts. Her suit also asks that the court negate actions taken by the trust, including Matt Seidler’s Dec. 21 announcement of his brother, John Seidler, as control person of the Padres. Sheel Seidler outlines in her complaint reasons she should be the team’s control person.
The brothers’ response to other claims in the lawsuit, including those having to do with control person of the Padres, is expected to be filed in the coming weeks. Matt Seidler refuted many of those claims the day after the lawsuit was filed.
The motion Thursday was effectively SKMC intervening to petition the court to compel arbitration to decide portions of Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit having to do with certain transactions involving SKMC she said constituted fraud against her.
Thursday’s motion said Eric Kutsenda, a founding partner of SKMC along with Peter and Robert Seidler, initiated arbitration for those claims on Dec. 23, two weeks before Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit was filed.
Kutsenda has served as the Padres’ temporary control person since shortly after Peter Seidler’s death in November 2023. John Seidler’s appointment as the new control person is expected to be voted on by MLB’s other 29 control persons within the next month.
Padres add veteran catcher
It appears spring training will feature a competition for playing time at catcher for the Padres.
The team on Thursday added a veteran to the mix, agreeing to terms on a minor-league deal with Martín Maldonado. The 38-year-old, who has played parts of 14 MLB seasons with the Brewers, Angels, Astros, Royals, Cubs and White Sox, received an invitation to spring camp.
Maldonado batted .119/.174/.230 in 147 plate appearances last season before being released by the White Sox in July. He is a career .203 hitter.
Defense is where Maldonado’s values lies, as his 59 defensive runs saved since 2012 rank fourth in MLB.
The only catchers on the Padres’ 40-man roster are Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan. Campusano, 26, began 2024 as the team’s primary catcher but finished the season in Triple-A. Sullivan spent most of the season in Triple-A.
Spring Breakout
A team of Padres prospects will host a team of A’s prospects March 14 (2:40 p.m. PT) at the Peoria Sports Complex. The contest is part of the Spring Breakout series in which top prospects from all 30 teams play one game each between March 13-16 in Arizona and Florida. A team of Padres prospects played the Mariners last year.
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