Louis Angelos sues brother, mother over control of Orioles

The two children of longtime Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos are embroiled in a new lawsuit centering around control of the team.

Louis Angelos, Peter's younger son, is suing both his older brother John - the Orioles' controlling owner - and his mother, Georgia, accusing John of taking sole control of the team against their father's wishes, according to Tim Prudente and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Banner.

In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Baltimore, Louis claims Peter set up a family trust for the Orioles following his collapse from a heart issue in 2017. It was only after their father's health rendered him disabled - Peter's no longer involved in the team's day-to-day operations - that John wrested full control away from his brother, who was pushed outside the organization.

"John has used the levers of power available to him to squeeze Lou into submission. He has withheld information owed to Lou as a trustee and as a beneficiary. In an early effort to gain Lou's cooperation, he threatened his inheritance. When that failed, he cajoled Mrs. Angelos into threatening the 'nuclear option,' that is, disinheritance, if Lou does not acquiesce to John's plans," the suit reads, according to court documents obtained by The Athletic.

Louis claims John "misled (their mother) into believing that he is working to" sell the team when he's actually doing the opposite. It's alleged that John destroyed a potential sale to "one highly credible group of buyers" interested in the club.

Louis also claims John may try to move the team to Tennessee, where he lives.

The lawsuit is asking for millions of dollars in assets John allegedly took from Louis in 2020 to be returned, and for both John and Georgia to be removed as co-trustees of the Orioles.

Peter, who is now 92 years old, bought the Orioles for $173 million in 1993. Forbes valued the club at $1.375 billion earlier this year. John was approved by MLB as the team's control person in 2020.

The Orioles have played in Baltimore since 1954 when they relocated from St. Louis. The club's lease at Oriole Park at Camden Yards runs through the end of 2023, but they have an option to extend it by another five years that must be exercised by Feb. 1, according to Prudente and Fenton.