Padres faithful rally behind Peter Seidler's widow Sheel amid her legal battle against late owner's brothers

An internal legal dispute has arisen in the San Diego Padres ownership group. Late owner Peter Seidler's wife, Sheel, is suing her brothers-in-law, Matthew and Robert, for illegally transferring the team's ownership through the Peter Seidler trust. The two brothers were aiming to make their third brother, John, the control man of the Padres.

Sheel filed a petition with the Travis County Probate Court in Austin, Texas, asserting that Peter had wished for her and their sons to assume control of the team before his passing. The petition included a handwritten letter allegedly authored by Peter himself.

Apart from the accusations of breaches of trust, fraud, conversion and egregious acts of self-dealing, Sheel also accused Robert's wife, Alecia, of racist remarks directed at her for being of Indian descent.

Peter Seidler was part of the ownership group that took over the San Diego Padres in 2012. He became the main person in charge of the team in 2020, three years before his death in November 2023. He was one of the league's popular owners, always willing to take a gamble with his ownership moves.

Being by Peter's side throughout the years, Sheel also gained a lot of trust and appreciation from the Padres community. The team's faithful fans quickly rose in support of her after the news broke out. Here are a few reactions from X:

"I saw Sheel more than I ever saw anyone else in the Padres ownership after the passing of Peter. SHE is the people’s owner. SHE has the trust of the fanbase. SHE wears the PS heart on her chest everyday. SHE will carry Peter’s legacy and ensure it lives on through their children," a fan wrote.

"People who’ve had no involvement with the team(his brothers) should have no ability to take it now. Furthermore, Padres Nation won’t stand for hatred or racism. We 💛 🤎 Sheel!," another fan said.

"San Diego is behind you, Sheel," a Padres fan club page rallied behind her.

"Sorry to hear this. Thank you for being the best owners of the Padres and all the community support. We support you!," another user wrote.

"I am 100% behind you❤️," a fan said.

Peter Seidler Trust dismisses any wrongdoing in ownership transfer

As the executor of Peter's will, Matthew had the right to ensure the correct transfer of Peter's ownership and the Trust. The Peter Seidler Trust released a statement.

“Peter had a clear estate plan,” the statement said. “The plan specifically named three of his nine siblings, with whom he had worked closely for many decades, as successor trustees of his trust and Peter himself prohibited Sheel from ever serving as trustee.”

This seriously jolts the Padres' hopes of acquiring a fresh face in the current offseason and also raises doubts about sustained success in the 2025 season. They were in the running to sign young Japanese flamethrower Roki Sasaki.