San Diego Padres owners Matthew and Robert Seidler have responded to a lawsuit filed by Peter Seidler’s widow, Sheel Kamal Seidler, who is seeking control of the team. The brothers claim that their sister-in-law’s lawsuit is responsible for the team’s inability to sign Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki this offseason.
According to their response, filed in the Texas Probate Court, Sheel’s lawsuit “recklessly suggested that Matt and his brothers were plotting to relocate the Padres elsewhere,” which led to Sasaki signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sasaki himself stated that one of the reasons he chose the Dodgers was due to the organization’s stability.
Sheel filed the lawsuit in January, alleging that Peter, before his death, designated her to take control of the team, followed by their children. However, the brothers claim that Peter never designated Sheel as his successor and consistently expressed a desire for his siblings and niece to take over the team after his death.
The response also claims that Peter’s trust was amended at least seven times after his marriage to Sheel, and he never named her as a successor trustee. Instead, it was his desire for his siblings and niece to have control of the team.
The Seidler brothers’ response to the lawsuit also includes allegations of racist and profane comments made towards Sheel by Bob’s wife, which they claim were directed at her, a woman of Indian descent.
The dispute is ongoing, with neither side willing to back down. The Padres have been plagued by poor performance and a lack of success on the field, and the ownership dispute has only added to the turmoil.