A beloved baseball team and a family fighting over control are headed for court. When the San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler, 63, died in November 2023, his widow Sheel Seidler said her husband wanted her to take over the team and become the “control person.”

As noted in a lawsuit filed by Mrs. Seidler, “’Control Person’ is a formal Major League Baseball role that denotes the person with ultimate responsibility over each ballclub.”

Mrs. Seidler recently filed a lawsuit in Travis County Probate Court in Austin, Texas, against her two brothers-in-law who served as executors of Peter Seidler’s estate, alleging fiduciary breaches of trust, fraud, conversion and egregious acts of self-dealing.

She also alleges that brother-in-law Matthew Seidler is trying to name the eldest brother, John Seidler, as the control person and "may well be part of his efforts to sell, and perhaps relocate, the team."

At the time of Peter Seidler’s death in 2023, his brother Robert Seidler was named as the executor of his estate, and then afterward, his brother Matthew Seidler was named executor of the Peter Seidler Revocable Trust, Peter Seidler Marital Trust and Peter Seidler Exemption Trust. A third brother, John Seidler, was named as the third person in succession if needed as executor of the Peter Seidler Trust. The Seidler brothers are grandsons of late Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley.

In legal documents the plaintiff alleges that “Bob and Matt have misappropriated and misused the assets that their deceased brother, Peter Seidler (“Peter”), expressly bequeathed in trust to Sheel Seidler, his first and only wife and the mother of their three young children. Peter made clear that the Seidler Trusts, and their assets, were to exist for Sheel's sole benefit during her lifetime. Yet time after time, Defendants have treated those assets as their own, to the detriment of the Trust and Mrs. Seidler.”

Court documents claim Mrs. Seidler was left numerous assets such as the home, giving her the “largest single ownership block, and the explicit control rights, of the San Diego Padres professional baseball team.”

Co-defendant Matthew Seidler disagrees. He said that his brother Peter left his choice for “permanent control” in his trust to his brothers.

“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 in a statement. “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.”

Documents filed by Mrs. Seidler detail how she participated in running the Padres with her husband, including saying the couple had a “partnership” in the team and their marriage. According to these documents, some of the ways Mrs. Seidler worked with the Padres include discussing “the business and operations of the Padres on a daily basis, and Peter regularly sought her counsel. Sheel consulted on potential free agent signings, trades, and management hires. She traveled with Peter to MLB owners’ meetings and would consult with him during breaks. She interfaced with players’ agents. She advised Peter on highly sensitive and confidential personnel issues. She developed deep relationships with players, staff, and their families.”

In a statement, Matthew Seidler said, in part, “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.” No one person can officially become the control person without the approval of the Major League.

Matthew Seidler also said, in a letter posted on the website of the Peter Seidler Trust, that the accusations brought against him and his brother are false.

“Sheel’s claims against Bob and me are entirely untrue, and we will vigorously defend ourselves against them,” Matthew Seidler wrote. ‘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.”