Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos was sued by his sister, Dea Spanos Berberian, on Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court, accuses Spanos of “misogynistic” behavior, “self-dealing,” and repeated “breaches of fiduciary duty,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Kimberley Martin. With the suit, Berberian wants to remove Spanos as a co-trustee of the family trust that has an ownership stake in the Chargers of over one-third. Berberian wants full control of the family trust, in addition to financial damages.
Chargers’ owner Dean Spanos is being sued by his sister, Dea Spanos Berberian, for alleged misogynistic behavior and repeated breaches of fiduciary duty, per me and @ByKimberleyA. Lawsuit was filed today in California and calls for Dean Spanos to be removed as a co-trustee. pic.twitter.com/EYYMAnUjJv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 10, 2022
Dean Spanos, Berberian, and their siblings Michael Spanos and Alexandra Spanos Ruhl each own 15 percent of the Chargers franchise. Spanos and Berberian were left as co-trustees of the trust following the deaths of Alex Spanos, who bought the franchise in 1984, and his wife, Faye Spanos, in 2018. Dean Spanos has run the franchise since 1994.
Berberian accuses her brothers of acting “out of their deeply-held misogynistic attitudes and sense of entitlement as the men in the family” to rationalize their pitiable behavior that she believes is intended to teach her that a woman has no rights.
The suit also alleges that Dean Spanos committed “breaches of fiduciary duty” including diverting $105 million from the trust to various debts, and manipulating the trust to borrow over $60 million.
On Friday, the families of Dean Spanos, Alexis Spanos Ruhl and Michael Spanos, as well as Ruhl herself, released statements of unity against Berberian.
Last year, Berberian filed a petition in Los Angeles County Court alleging that the trust was in debt, and that the only way to pay it off was to sell the team.
