Orioles CEO John Angelos wrested control of team at expense of brother, suit

Baltimore Orioles CEO John Angelos was accused in a lawsuit this week of seizing control of the team at the expense of his brother, Lou — and in defiance of their father, Peter’s, wishes.

Peter Angelos became the Orioles’ owner in 1993, but his public role has diminished in recent years and he turns 93 next month.

John Angelos is the club’s chairman and CEO, with Peter and Lou listed on the team’s website as part of its limited partnership group. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Baltimore County Circuit Court, Lou Angelos said John has tried to take control of their father’s estate while excluding Lou.

“In 2018, [Peter] Angelos became disabled,” the suit said. “Shortly thereafter, John embarked on a series of steps to arrogate to himself complete control over Mr. Angelos’ assets. He accomplished this by manipulating his mother, Mrs. Georgia Angelos, who is now eighty years old, thereby bending her to his will.”

Lou Angelos is the plaintiff in the lawsuit. John and Georgia Angelos are defendants.

According to the suit, Peter Angelos had surgery after his aortic valve failed in 2017. Around then, he executed a revocable trust and durable power of attorney.

“A principle purpose of these documents was to ensure that Mr. Angelos’ sons worked together in support of their mother, shared decision-making and enjoyed equal rights of inheritance,” the suit said. “Mr. Angelos never intended that one son should wield control over his estate to the exclusion of his other son.”

The suit accuses John Angelos of working to undermine Georgia Angelos’ confidence in Lou, and to exclude him from the Orioles’ business matters.

“The corrupting effect of John’s actions has been to thoroughly frustrate Mr. Angelos’ intentions,” the suit said. “John intends to maintain absolute control over the Orioles — to manage, to sell or, if he chooses, to move to Tennessee [where he has a home and where his wife’s career is headquartered] — without having to answer to anyone.”

The suit didn’t elaborate on whether there’s any significant likelihood of the team moving. It did claim Mrs. Angelos felt it was in the trust’s best interest to sell the team — but that John Angelos has attempted to prevent that.

The lawsuit also claims that in 2019, John Angelos ordered former Orioles outfielder Brady Anderson fired as part of an effort to remove people who would oppose his actions. Anderson, who spent almost all of his 15-year playing career with Baltimore, had returned to the organization and become a vice president of baseball operations.

The Orioles declined to comment Friday when asked if the team or John Angelos had any response.