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Los Angeles Chargers owner is sued by his sister in a legal battle for control of the franchise
Berberian seeks sole management of the household belief that owns the most important share of the franchise, in line with a petition filed in San Joaquin County Superior Courtroom.
Following the deaths of their mother and father in 2018, Spanos and Berberian had been named co-trustees of the belief, which holds a 36% possession stake within the staff, court docket filings present.
Spanos, Berberian and their two different siblings — staff vice chairman Michael Spanos and Alexis Spanos Ruhl — every individually personal 15% of the Chargers. The 4 siblings are equal beneficiaries of the household belief, in line with court docket paperwork.
The remaining 4% of the franchise is owned by different events outdoors of the Spanos household.
In her lawsuit, Berberian alleges that Dean Spanos and brother Michael have acted in opposition to their mother and father’ needs “out of their deeply-held misogynistic attitudes and sense of entitlement as the lads within the household” to be able to “educate her {that a} girl has no rights.”
She additionally accuses her brothers of fiduciary mismanagement that has left the Spanos household belief with greater than $358 million of debt as of the tip of 2021, the lawsuit reveals. Berberian factors to at least one occasion the place she stated financials had been manipulated to borrow greater than $60 million for the “wasteful buy of an airplane for Dean’s and Michael’s use that has no legit enterprise justification,” in line with the lawsuit.
Berberian argues that her brothers have “pursued a marketing campaign to punish, belittle and humiliate” her in retaliation for talking in opposition to their administration of the household belief.
Her lawsuit claims that Dean and Michael Spanos “consider to their cores that, no matter what their mother and father meant and their wills specified, males are in cost and girls ought to shut up.”
Dean and Michael Spanos together with their sister Ruhl launched a joint assertion Friday, denouncing the actions of Berberian.
“It’s unlucky that our sister Dea, who clearly has little interest in persevering with to take part within the household’s companies, has resorted to leveling false and provocative expenses in an try to impose her will on the remainder of the household,” they are saying within the assertion.
“The three of us and our youngsters, representing greater than 75% of the household and its possession of its companies, stand united in assist of our mother and father’ and grandparents’ needs, together with as to the continued possession and operation of the Chargers.”
In a separate assertion, Ruhl stated her brother Dean has been “unfailingly respectful of me and of my needs.”
“To characterize Dean as someway being lower than totally respectful of the ladies in our household is simply not proper,” Ruhl continued.
Final 12 months, Berberian filed a lawsuit making an attempt to drive the sale of the household belief, together with its stake within the Chargers franchise. The NFL intervened and requested to arbitrate the matter because it was a dispute amongst NFL homeowners, a supply aware of the case informed CNN.
Berberian agreed this week to permit the NFL to arbitrate that matter, in line with the supply.
The NFL declined to touch upon the scenario.