LOS ANGELES — Chargers chairman Dean Spanos has been sued by two of his nephews who allege that he secretly diverted money from the family trust that owns 36% of the team.
Dimitri and Lex Economou filed their suit this week in San Joaquin County. They are the sons of one of Spanos' sisters, Dea Spanos Berberian.
The nephews claim that Spanos — with the aid of his brother, Michael, the Chargers' vice chairman — altered the trust in February 2018 to divert money from the trust "to themselves personally."
While specifying no exact dollar figure, the lawsuit seeks the recovery of all "misappropriated" assets along with double the damages for the trust, as permitted by law.
In a statement, an attorney for Spanos called the claims "meritless" and promised to address the situation "at the appropriate time, in the appropriate forum."
Spanos and his sister are involved in an ongoing legal battle over the trust, with Dea claiming in a petition that mounting debt has imperiled the family's finances and left the trust unable to fulfill monetary pledges made to various charities.
