In a "short but emotion-packed press conference
yesterday," 49ers co-Owner Eddie DeBartolo announced a $150M
lawsuit against his sister, Denise DeBartolo York, according
to Matier & Ross of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Surrounded by his
immediate family, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Roger Craig,
DeBartolo charged that his sister "reneged on a deal last
year to turn over the team to him" for $350M in corporate
assets. DeBartolo: "I placed my trust and my family's
financial future in Denise's hand, and that trust has been
betrayed" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/16).
COUNTERCLAIMS: DeBartolo's suit came a week after his
sister filed a lawsuit in S.F. Superior Court that demanded
DeBartolo repay $94M he "borrowed" from the DeBartolo Corp.
DeBartolo, who filed his suit in U.S. District Court in OH,
said that "he was stunned" by his sister's suit: "I always
believed that we could resolve our differences in private,
as families should -- as my father would have wanted."
DeBartolo claims that he and his sister agreed last August
that DeBartolo Corp. would transfer 90% of its interest in
the team to Eddie in exchange for giving up his stock
holdings in the corporation. But DeBartolo claims that
after the sales of the Vikings and Browns, along with the
$800M offer for the Redskins, his sister "suddenly had
second thoughts, not only because of the rising value of
other franchises but also because the value of the family
assets to be swapped had begun to plummet." DeBartolo
claims that this led his sister to change the deal terms.
DeBartolo York issued a statement yesterday which expressed
her "disappointment" in her brother's action, and said his
suit left out "key facts," including his assumption that the
NFL would approve a "convicted felon as an owner" (S.F.
CHRONICLE, 4/16). DeBartolo, on his relationship with his
sister: "We're brother and sister. Genes did that. I
didn't" (CONTRA COSTA TIMES, 4/16).
