NFL Owner Sued by Sister, Accused of 'Misogynistic' Behavior

By Brian Jones

An NFL owner is being sued by his sister as they have an ongoing legal battle over control of the team. According to ESPN, Los Angeles Chargers Owners Dean Spanos has been accused of "misogynistic" behavior, "delf-dealing" and repeated "breaches of fiduciary duty by Dea Spanos Berberian, who is seeking sole control of a family trust that includes more than one-third of the Chargers' ownership. The lawsuit that was filed at San Joaquin County Superior Court asks for the removal of Spanos as co-trustee. 

Berberian accuses brothers Dean and Michael Spanos of acting  "out of their deeply-held misogynistic attitudes and sense of entitlement as the men in the family ... and to rationalize their pitiable behavior which she believes is intended to teach her that a woman has no rights, no matter what any trust instrument might say." The lawsuit goes on to say that  Dean and Michael "believe to their cores that, regardless of what their parents intended and their wills specified, men are in charge and women should shut up."

Dean Spanos is accused of diverting $105 million from the trust to various debts. He allegedly manipulated the trust to borrow over $60 million "for the wasteful purchase of an airplane for Dean's and Michael's use that has no legitimate business justification."

Spanos, Berberian and their siblings, Michael and Alexandra Spanos Ruhl, each own 15% of the Chargers franchise. 36% of the team is owned by the family trust and the remaining 4% is owned by non-family members. The team was bought by their father, Alex Spanos in 1984, and Dean Spanos took over managing the franchise in 1994. In April 2021, Berberian petitioned the Los Angeles County Superior Court to put the team up for sale. The petition said: "The Trust's Interest in the Chargers must be sold so that debts can be discharged, the hemorrhaging can stop, the speculation and risk can be eliminated, and the beneficiaries can actually enjoy the benefit of their inheritance as the settlers intended."

"If Dea no longer wishes to be part of this family legacy, the three of us stand ready to purchase her share of the franchise, as our agreements give us the right to do," the siblings said in a statement at the time. "In the meanwhile, the operations of the Chargers will be entirely unaffected by this matter, which relates only to the 36 percent share of the team that was owned by our parents."  

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