Peter George Angelos (born July 4, 1929)[1] is an American trial lawyer and baseball executive from Baltimore, Maryland. A lawsuit filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court on Thursday by Louis alleges that John has worked to "undermine Georgia Angelos' confidence in Lou," among other aspects. Forbes valued the Orioles at $1.375 billion in March it was the only MLB club to decline in value last year. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. There were fraught dynamics, as well, between Georgia Angelos and her sons, according to the lawsuit. Louis Angelos asserts in an amended complaint filed on Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court that his mother, Georgia Angelos, and brother, John Angelos, have failed his father and shirked their responsibilities and breached their legal duties, in multiple, catastrophic ways.. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policies | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell My Personal Information | Ad Choices. "Sold! And that it was an amicable separation of powers. In June, Louis Angelos, 53, filed suit in Baltimore County Circuit Court alleging that his brother and mother conspired to push him out of the familys fortune, including ownership of the Orioles as well as the familys law firm, which Louis had been running for roughly five years. Louis Angelos son of owner Peter Angelos, who has suffered from serious health issues in recent years is suing his brother, John, and mother, Georgia, court documents obtained by The Athletic on Friday show. [24], In October 2019 John P. Angelos, vice president of the Orioles, stated that neither he nor his father Peter had any plans to relocate the Orioles outside of Baltimore, contrary to rumors. Louis Angelos' attorneys Jeffrey Nusinov and Paul Raschke released a statement explaining the goal of their client's lawsuit. Two months later, Georgia Angelos sued Louis Angelos, claiming that he sold his fathers law firm to himself in a move that amounted to elder abuse. Aired: 04/24/23. The suit also says John could move the team. Peter Angelos suffered a failure of his aortic heart valve in 2017, and established a trust fund for his wife and two sons as co-trustees. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. A court found in the Nationals' and league's favor on that issue back in 2019. Angelos family agrees to transfer law firm to conservatorship as legal battle continues, The Baltimore Banner Louis Angelos accuses his older. Louis Angelos claims that their father intended for the brothers and their mother to share control of the team. In 2018, the then-17-year-old sang the national anthem at Camden Yards, and John Angelos arranged for a subsequent performance as well, according to the lawsuit. tim.prudente@thebaltimorebanner.com, justin.fenton@thebaltimorebanner.com, See the full court filing: Angelos sons lawsuit over the Baltimore Orioles, family fortune, www.thebaltimorebanner.com 2023 The Baltimore Banner. The lawsuit says he was among the Peter Angelos loyalists who John Angelos wanted out of the picture as he brought in yes-men completely beholden to him., In March 2019, John Angelos cut Andersons salary in half, and later that year ordered the teams general manager, Mike Elias to fire him, according to the suit. Peter Angelos married Georgia Kousouris in 1966, and they had two children together, John and Louis. The suit also claims that Louis mother, Georgia Angelos, has wanted to sell the team. / CBS Baltimore. In making his allegations, Louis Angelos recounts anecdotes for example, about stormy encounters and a yearslong rift between John Angelos and his father that unleash a cloudburst of family drama. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. On June 9, 2022, Louis Angelos sued his brother, Orioles chairman and CEO John P. Angelos, and mother Georgia Angelos in Baltimore County Circuit Court. In any event, Nashville has taken notice of Carter Faith. The college student has had far more exposure as an artist through John and Margarets efforts than she could have ever achieved purely on her own talents, the lawsuit states. While the lawsuit speculates that John Angelos might want to move the team, there are no allegations that he took any such steps. The amended complaint claims the pair feared liability stemming from the law firm, which faces a class-action legal malpractice lawsuit because of a missed deadline in a decades-old asbestos case. The Baltimore Banner is a trademark registered in the U.S. for The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Louis believes John nixed the deal; the buyer group came back in May 2020, and their mother had an attorney speak to her sons in an unsuccessful attempt to convince them to sell. The ambiance is homely, with red checkered tablecloths. Follow Dan on Twitter @danconnolly2016. Louis claims in the lawsuit his father intended for the two brothers to control the team equally, but that John, 54, has grabbed power. It also claims that John Angelos forced out former star centerfielder and Orioles Hall of Famer Brady Anderson from his front office role, because he presented a threat.. Therefore, the team on the field at this point is probably what it would have been if this internal struggle hadnt occurred. [28] The same report notes that during the particularly hot summer of 2010, Angelos anonymously donated $300,000 to keep Baltimore city pools open. Dan Connolly, Orioles senior writer: Its hard to tell because it appears much of the animosity and infighting grew after 2017, meaning shortly before the Orioles began their colossal rebuild. Louis Angelos, 52, of Baltimore County, sued his brother and mother Thursday in Baltimore County Circuit Court. For more details on the lawsuit, you can visit The Baltimore Banner. When talks between the players and the owners stalled in December 1994, and the owners voted to impose a salary cap, Angelos was one of three dissenters to the arrangement. In January, a conservator was appointed by the courts to oversee the law firm, taking away Louis Angelos operation of the firm. Nusinov said Thursday that the claims Peter Angelos wanted to close his firm are ridiculous.. [18] Angelos denied that the two had spoken about potential opportunities with the Baltimore Orioles, but said he welcomed future discussions on the topic. Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos - official website. If he had been informed, he could have rejected the sale, according to the lawsuit. But in more recent rulings, the courts have sharply limited consolidation as an option and given defendants, such as manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos, as well as contractors that used it, a chance to have judges or juries weigh each case on its merits. Given that Mr. Angelos wanted to be remembered as an effective lawyer first and foremost, and saw his role in the Orioles as strictly secondary, Johns attacks on the law firm were a startling manifestation of his antipathy towards his fathers legacy as a lawyer, the suit says. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Louis maintains that John did so by manipulating their mother, who is now 80, as he sought complete control. Our nonprofit news organization is made possible by, Select the type of alerts youd like to receive, Browsers such as Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, Get text messages from The Banner in urgent situations (message and data rates may apply). Money was also drained, the lawsuit alleges, to protect assets from class-action lawsuits against the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos related to its handling of an asbestos case. Meanwhile, the Orioles have yet to sign a long-term lease to remain at Camden Yards, but John Angelos repeatedly has said the team will stay in Baltimore for the long term. ", "Rejecting Cal Ripken Proves the Orioles Will Never Win with Peter Angelos", "Arturo Moreno, John Henry rank among best MLB owners", "Viewpoint: Angelos doesn't deserve the bad rap", If Ripken calls, Orioles owner interested, Orioles' Angelos denies that Ripken requested job in front office, Orioles ready to talk if Ripken wants job, "Peter Angelos' failing health prompts MLB to demand ownership answers from Orioles", "Who's in control of the Orioles? Dan Connolly is a senior writer covering the Baltimore Orioles for The Athletic. Improve this listing. In short, the lawsuit reads, as a result of John and Georgias actions, the man who created all of the family wealth will be left with no practical means of meeting his most basic needs, and his estate plan has been obliterated.. The lawsuit alleges John Angelos and Georgia Angelos used Peter Angelos assets to borrow funds for the purchase. Jones convinced Louis Angelos that was necessary to meet Major League Baseball requirements, the suit said. [3], A lifelong Democrat, Angelos began his political career with an unsuccessful run for State Senate in 1958. The Baltimore Banner may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 19: Louis Angelos (L) and John Angelos (R) of the Baltimore Orioles look on after introducing Mike Elias (C) to the media as the Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager during a news conference at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on November 19, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. This is a complete and utter victory for the law firm, the clients of the law firm, the lawyers at the law firm, the Angelos family and Baltimore City, said Doug Gansler, the former Maryland attorney general who is representing Georgia Angelos. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Angelos is the son of John (a bar owner) and Frances Angelos,[1] who immigrated to the United States from Menetes, Karpathos, Greece. The 2019 season was Andersons last with the Os. "John concealed and misrepresented the facts, feeding his mother a steady diet of half-truths and prevarications. The host is very present! The suit says his mother texted him back: Louis, I reread the letters and they made me very angry. [8], Angelos breeds and races Thoroughbred horses and in 1998 purchased the 237-acre (0.96km2) Ross Valley Farm in Baltimore County.[9]. Peter, now 92, bought the team for $173 million in 1993, then a record price for any sports team. In fact, he has said the team wouldn't move. Louis Angelos lawsuit depicts his brother as manipulating, misleading and intimidating their mother to gain more power over the family fortune. The Baltimore Sun first reported the filing of the motion to dismiss. As recently as April, the lawsuit says, Louis Angelos sent letters to his mother asking for information he says he is entitled to as a co-trustee. The suit alleges that Louis brother, John Angelos, has taken full control of the team despite their father intending for both sons to have equal control. He has withheld information owed to Lou as a trustee and as a beneficiary. Louis Angelos (L) and John Angelos (R) of the Baltimore Orioles look on after introducing Mike Elias (C) to the media as the Orioles executive vice president and general manager during a news conference at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Nov. 19, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. [citation needed], Angelos donated $272,000 to the independent expenditure-only committee (Super PAC) Draft Biden which sought to induce Vice President Joe Biden to enter the 2016 Democratic Primary for President. In the early years of his ownership, Angelos was repeatedly criticized by The Baltimore Sun for the team's performance, but has been praised by his associates for his work ethic and dedication. He claims his father intended for the two brothers to control the team equally, but that John, 54, of Nashville, has grabbed power. While Peter Angelos was known nationally as the teams owner and a prominent class-action attorney, his sons kept lower profiles. In that case, a conservator must take over because Georgia Angelos is not a lawyer. Angelos did not like that arrangement and he did not particularly care if the world found out. What brought him into the public eye, however, was his refusal to field replacement players should the strike last into the 1995 Major League Baseball season. (AP Photo/James A. Finley). Location and contact. The suit says John Angelos co-opted his fathers former attorney, Chris Jones, by helping boost Jones daughter, an aspiring country music singer named Carter Faith. Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Keith Truffer accepted an agreement reached Thursday by attorneys for all four members of the Angelos family transferring the Angelos Law Firm to a conservatorship. The family brought Jones back to help advise them on a trust for the assets of Peter Angelos but eventually, the suit goes on to claim, his allegiance shifted to John exclusively. Louis Angelos lawsuit says John Angelos needed Jones utter loyalty to consolidate his power. Amid Angelos declining health, Major League Baseball in 2019 asked who was running the team and would be the control person, meaning the person with ultimate authority and responsibility for making all decisions concerning a club. The battle over the estate comes at a time when team leadership faces several major decisions, including whether to extend its lease to continue playing at Camden Yards. 166. He harangued her over the telephone, angrily feeding her half-truths and outright fabrications that paralyzed her with confusion, fear and indecision.. Louis Angelos has agreed to nullify his purchase of his fathers storied law firm, granting a victory to his mother and brother in their ongoing legal battle, lawyers for Georgia and John Angelos said Thursday. According to Tim Prudente and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Banner, Louis Angelos is suing his brother John and mother Georgia in Baltimore Circuit County Court. As long as Fort McHenry is watching over the harbor, the Orioles will be in Baltimore, John Angelos told Baltimore Magazine in 2019. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Peter Angeloss devotion to his clients is legendary and everyone knows his practice was his most treasured of his many accomplishments, he said. Peter G. Angelos, center, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, sits in the owner's box at Fort Lauderdale Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his son, Louis, and wife, Georgia, during his team . As Peter Angelos remains in poor health, his family fights over control of his two assets -. Louis contends that John seized controlling power for the Orioles despite their father's intention for the two of them to control the team equally. [1] Critics accused Angelos rapidly hiring and firing baseball managers, and reportedly overruling their decisions. Subscribers to Maryland Family Law Update can access the digital edition archive. In one of his cases, he represented some 8,700 steelworkers, shipyard workers, and manufacturers' employees in a consolidated-action asbestos poisoning suit that was partially settled in 1992. He then unilaterally hired a chief operating officer for business operations, John Vidalin, who left after eight months because John Angelos refused to cede responsibilities. That allegedly includes torpedoing "interest expressed by one highly credible group of buyers.". You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. [23] This would require the team to name a new control person to represent them, although it would have no bearing on who would succeed Angelos as principal owner. The property transfers were made without Lous knowledge or consent, according to the lawsuit. Our nonprofit news organization is made possible by, Select the type of alerts youd like to receive, Browsers such as Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, Get text messages from The Banner in urgent situations (message and data rates may apply). The Orioles appealed that . January 26, 2023 / 1:31 PM Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports. BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 19: Louis Angelos (L) and John Angelos (R) of the Baltimore Orioles look on after introducing Mike Elias (C) to the media as the Orioles Executive Vice. [2], Angelos also represented the state of Maryland in a suit against Philip Morris and suing Wyeth, the makers of part of the diet pill combination fen-phen. According to court documents obtained by our media partnersThe Baltimore Banner Louis Angelos accuses his olderbrother John, and mother Georgia, of draining more than $65 million from their father Peter Angelos' bank account. BALTIMORE The wife of Orioles owner Peter Angelos claims in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that their younger son, Louis Angelos, has sold his father's law firm, which over the decades has won. The Orioles are inching closer to a time when theyll need to fortify the roster with free-agent purchases, and adding public ownership dysfunction to a list of perceived negatives already existing is not encouraging for the on-field product. The Orioles will forever play at Oriole Park, and at no time ever have we contemplated anything different, he wrote. The Maryland State legislature earlier this year passed an initiative committing $1.2 billion for upgrades to Oriole Park as well as the Ravens M&T Bank Stadium, an effort to keep both teams in Baltimore. By signing up for alerts, I agree to The Baltimore Banner's Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy and to receive news alerts and other communications from The Baltimore Banner. John Angelos has served as the Orioles vice president since 2020 after being approved by other MLB owners to be the teams control person.. Terms of the settlement have not been released due to a confidentiality agreement. Jones, meanwhile, convinced Louis Angelos to agree to an amendment to the trust in 2018 that ultimately gave John Angelos increased control with his mothers consent, according to the suit. The Banner said an attorney for John could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. Louis Angelos is asking for a jury trial, and for the courts to remove the assets from the LLC. As he has for years, Lou Angelos remains committed to the firms clients and his fathers legacy., RELATED: Fearing Angelos firms liabilities, family diverted tens of millions, new complaint claims. All sides agree it will be transferred to a conservator. Peter Angelos and a group of investors purchased the Orioles from Eli Jacobs for $173 million in 1993. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. But John, who had allegedly not been involved in the team until his father's health took a turn, started to seize control in 2018, the lawsuit says.