Exclusive: Widow of San Diego Padres Owner Speaks Out Against Brother-In-Law’s Claims
The widow of late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler has spoken out against her brother-in-law’s claims that her lawsuit against him prevented the team from signing star pitcher Roki Sasaki.
In a statement, Sheel Kamal Seidler’s representatives said that her lawsuit would not have prevented the team from signing Sasaki if she was involved in the recruitment process. They also accused Peter’s brothers, Matthew and Robert, of having blocked her from participating in the process, saying that “Matt and Robert Seidler must be relieved to have an easy scapegoat for their failure to sign Roki Sasaki.”
The representatives also expressed confidence that Sheel will win in court, calling the response provided by Matthew “thin” and saying that it fails to address the serious allegations of breach of fiduciary duty made by Sheel against her brothers-in-law.
In his statement, Matthew Seidler claimed that Sheel’s lawsuit came at a “critical time” during negotiations with Sasaki and that it impacted their recruitment efforts. He also claimed that Peter never indicated he wanted Sheel to have control of the team after his passing and that Sheel was precluded from ever serving as a successor trustee.
Sheel’s lawsuit, filed in early January, seeks to seize control of the team from Peter’s brothers for her children, claiming that Peter’s dying wish was for her to take control of the team, followed by their children, and that her children hold the largest stake in ownership.
Roki Sasaki himself said that one of the reasons he chose to sign with the Dodgers was because of the organization’s stability, at his introductory press conference last week.