Dean Spanos' sister requests court force sale of Chargers to pay off debts

Dea Spanos Berberian, the sister of Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos, has filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court arguing that Dean must sell the team to offset the family's growing debt.

According to The Los Angeles Times' Nathan Fenno, Dea "who serves as co-trustee of the family trust along with her brother, alleges the trust’s debts and expenses exceed $353 million." The filing also stated that the trust currently doesn't have a plan to pay more than $22 million it currently has pledged to charities.

"Every day that passes increases the risks that the charitable beneficiaries and the Spanos family legacy will suffer irreparable financial and reputational damage," the petition said.

The Chargers relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2017, which came with a heft $650 million relocation fee. The filing alleges that Dean has forced the family trust to continue to borrow money in the "hope" that the team will be able to earn them all of their money back.

In response, Dean and two of his siblings released a statement saying that they planned to keep the team.

"For the three of us, the Chargers is one of our family’s most important legacies, just as it was for our parents," the statement said.