Fight over control of Padres leads to lawsuit among late owner Peter Seidler's family

The widow of former San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler is suing his two brothers for control of the team.

According to a suit filed Monday in Texas probate court, Sheel Seidler claimed that Matthew and Robert Seidler have "irreconcilable conflicts of interest" in their roles as trustees and executors of Peter Seidler's estate and that they tried to sell trust assets to themselves at "far-below market prices."

Peter Seidler, a two-time cancer survivor who became part-owner of the franchise in 2012 and purchased a controlling stake in 2020, died in November 2023 at the age of 63. The suit alleges Sheel Seidler is the sole beneficiary of his trust and should be the controlling owner of the team.

A statement from a spokesperson for the Seidler Trust, which controls the Padres, called her complaint "entirely without merit." Last month, the Padres named John Seidler, the oldest of Peter's nine siblings, as the team's control person. His appointment still requires MLB approval.

In a letter shared with USA TODAY Sports addressed to Padres partners and fans, Matthew Seidler said the claims in the lawsuit are “entirely untrue,” and he said the family will “vigorously defend ourselves against them.”

The letter also emphasized that during his tenure as controlling partner, Peter Seidler “never chose to make Sheel an executive, director, officer, or employee of the Padres.”

Despite the lawsuit, Matthew Seidler said, “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.”

Under Seidler's direction, the small-market Padres made a major push to bring San Diego its first World Series title – signing stars Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. to long-term contracts, spending big money on free agent Xander Bogaerts and engineering blockbuster trades for Juan Soto and Blake Snell.

Although they've yet to win that elusive title, the Padres have drawn franchise-record crowds of over three million to Petco Park each of the past two seasons.

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(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sheel Seidler, widow of Padres owner Peter Seidler, sues for control