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Sheel Seidler, the widow of former Padres chairman Peter Seidler, is contesting control of the franchise.
Seidler filed suit Monday, accusing two of Peter Seidler’s brothers of “fiduciary breaches of trust” and “fraud” in their handling of the Seidler Trusts, which control the Padres. The suit, which alleges Matt and Robert Seidler used the trusts as “a piggybank” and withheld funds from Sheel Seidler, seeks to void the team’s appointment of John Seidler as the team’s control person.
Sportico first reported the lawsuit, which was filed in Texas, where Peter and Sheel Seidler maintained a residence.
Sheel Seidler posted a statement on X on Monday in which she said the complaint was “a last resort” filed “to protect my family and to continue to carry out Peter’s legacy.”
The Padres announced last month that John Seidler, Peter Seidler’s oldest brother, would assume control of the team. Eric Kutsenda, a longtime business partner and friend of Peter Seidler, served as interim control person in the 13 months following Seidler’s death.
Sheel Seidler claims in the suit, which names Matt Seidler and Robert Seidler as defendants, that Peter Seidler expressed before he died that he wanted her to take over as control person.
Sheel Seidler, who in a text message in December said she would talk to a reporter after the new year, did not immediately return a voice message on Monday.
Through a spokesman, the Padres declined comment on Monday.
Sheel Seidler is among a group of Peter Seidler’s family members, including siblings and cousins, that account for ownership of approximately 45% of the Padres, according to multiple sources. Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit states she and her children own approximately 25% of the team, which makes them the largest shareholder. Mexican billionaire Alfredo Harp Helú is the only person outside the Seidler and O’Malley families to own at least 15% of the club. That is the minimum threshold to be eligible as a team’s control person.
Attached to the lawsuit was a copy of a handwritten note purportedly written by Peter Seidler with the heading “Future Control Person.” Atop the list of 14 people were the names of Sheel and the couple’s three children.
This is in contrast to what multiple people in and around the franchise have said over the course of the past two years. Since rumors of his declining health began circulating in 2023, people who were close to Peter Seidler have contended he said his wife would not assume control of the team when he died.
In a far-ranging conversation with a Union-Tribune reporter in July 2023, his final public interview, Peter Seidler said that his plan was for the Padres to remain in his family for generations. Asked what that meant and if Sheel Seidler would take over in the event of his death, Peter Seidler said he was not going to get into specifics.
Seidler, already a two-time cancer survivor, revealed in that July 2023 interview that he was ill with a form of cancer. He said assuredly the type of cancer he had was not fatal. However, he confided that he was resigned to his ongoing health issues likely resulting in an earlier death than he would like.
He died Nov. 14, 2023 at age of 63 from an infection related to his compromised immune system.
Peter Seidler was part of a group that bought the Padres in August 2012. Ron Fowler was the team’s chairman from 2013 through ‘20. Peter Seidler assumed that role in November 2020.
His widow’s lawsuit injects uncertainty into the Padres’ offseason — and their future.
The complaint suggests Matt and Robert Seidler’s machinations in keeping Sheel Seidler from becoming control person could be part of “efforts to sell and perhaps relocate the team.”
Padres officials have signaled their intentions to continue under a course of financial restraint that Peter Seidler veered from in his three seasons as the team’s chairman, during which the Padres ranked among the biggest spenders in Major League Baseball.
The team also exceeded the debt ratio limit allowed by MLB in that time and, according to several sources, was highly leveraged and, under Kutsenda’s guidance, had to submit to the league a plan to get back into compliance with league rules regarding debt. The team took out a $50 million loan to cover expenses at the end of the 2023 season.
The Padres made the playoffs in 2024 despite chopping nearly $100 million from their payroll. Team sources have said payroll will increase in ’25 but remain far from the aggressive spending of Seidler’s tenure.
Several people around the league said in December that the uncertainty over the Padres’ ownership had all but paralyzed their ability to make moves. To date, they have not signed any free agents nor made any trades this offseason. However, that is not unprecedented. Several significant contributors to last year’s 93-win team were acquired in February or later.
Multiple sources said earlier this offseason that the Padres were required by MLB to name a control person by the start of spring training. It is not known how the lawsuit will affect the transfer of control.
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