A legal battle has erupted within the San Diego Padres organization following the passing of owner Peter Seidler. His widow, Sheel Kamal Seidler, has filed a lawsuit against Peter's brothers, Matt and Bob Seidler, seeking control of the team.

Sheel Seidler contends that Peter's dying wish was for her, and subsequently their children, to inherit ownership of the Padres, with their children holding the largest stake. The lawsuit alleges that Matt and Bob Seidler are attempting to disregard Peter's wishes and falsely portray themselves as his rightful heirs.

Further complicating the matter, the lawsuit includes accusations of racist, profane, and hateful communications directed at Sheel Seidler, a woman of Indian descent, from Bob Seidler’s wife. Sheel Seidler released a statement emphasizing her efforts to resolve the issue privately before resorting to legal action, stating that this decision was made to protect the Padres franchise and Peter's vision for the team.

Matt Seidler responded to the allegations, asserting that they are "without merit" and that Peter Seidler had a clear estate plan in place which named three of his nine siblings as successor trustees and explicitly excluded Sheel Seidler from ever serving as trustee.

Peter Seidler, a cancer survivor, passed away in November 2023 at the age of 63 after a period of illness. He had publicly stated his intention for the Padres to remain within his family for generations. Seidler was instrumental in the group that purchased the Padres in 2012, a group that also included his uncle, also named Peter, and Ron Fowler. The group's name is a nod to Seidler’s grandfather, Walter O’Malley, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Seidler became the team's largest stakeholder after Fowler transferred the role of chairman to him in 2020 and Seidler subsequently purchased a portion of Fowler's stake.

During his tenure as owner, Peter Seidler invested heavily in the team, signing high-profile players like Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, and Yu Darvish to lucrative contracts in an effort to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was reported that the team took out a $50 million loan in 2023 to help cover the cost of these contracts.