In the last few years, the health of the former MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and his wife, Virginia, has been on the decline. In their mid-80s, the Ueberroth couple is suffering from cognitive decline, which a family friend has reportedly taken advantage of. The former Commissioner’s daughter has filed a lawsuit alleging financial misuse on the trustee’s part.

Peter Ueberroth was reportedly diagnosed with moderate dementia, alongside strong concern for Alzheimer’s disease, in March 2024. As Peter lost his ability to handle financial transactions due to the disease, family friend and attorney Michael McKee took over as the trustee of the family’s trust.

Now, Ueberroth’s daughter, Vicki Ueberroth Booth, has filed the lawsuit against their trustee, McKee, in the California Superior Court, reported The Athletic.

Ueberroth Booth alleged in the lawsuit that McKee subordinated the interests of trustors and beneficiaries, violating his statutory duties. The 80-year-old attorney was also accused of persistently concealing material information.

They also alleged the misuse of millions of dollars of the family’s fund by McKee. Vicki Ueberroth had petitioned for the removal of McKee as the family’s trustee and to pay back the money.

McKee is also the chairman of Tiger Woods’charity, the TGR Foundation.

According to The Athletic, McKee proceeded to conceal “the use of Peter’s signature after Peter had been deemed incapacitated,” the suit claims, adding the “authorizations were executed at a time when Peter lacked capacity and could not provide informed consent.”

In a statement to The Athletic, Ueberroth Booth’s attorney, Gabrielle Vidal, highlighted how disturbing it has been for her to bring private family matters to a public forum. She has been rendered helpless, and seeking the court’s aid was the only way.

“It has been deeply distressing for Vicki and her family to watch Mr. McKee, someone her parents once trusted, betray that trust at a time when they are most vulnerable. Filing this petition — and bringing sensitive and private family matters into a public forum — was not a decision made lightly, but a necessary one to protect their parents, safeguard what they built, and ensure that their wishes are honored. Mr. McKee’s continued breaches of his fiduciary duties and his misuse of authority have left her no choice but to seek the court’s intervention,” stated Vidal.

Peter Ueberroth was the MLB’s sixth commissioner and was in charge of the first privately run Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984. He pushed for player drug testing and focused on television revenues. Having taken charge as the Commissioner of the League in 1984, he served until 1989.

The petition also alleged that McKee did not intervene in the efforts of two other associates, involved in the exploitation of the Ueberroths.

Exploitation by two other associates

The suit alleged that the two associates altered the access to Ueberroth’s bank account by changing the designated email address to one they controled.

The Athletic further reported that in 2023, the associates transferred $2 million to a Los Angeles-based charity by “falsely representing that Peter had authorized the transfer.”

In reality, neither Peter nor Virginia had any association with the charity.

Ueberroth Booth redirected the money to another charity after she noticed that the transfer was “wholly inconsistent with Peter’s and Virginia’s long‑standing charitable practices,” per the suit.

Furthermore, she also accused the two associates of pressuring Peter into dismissing caregivers and disregarding medical directives, along with isolating him. Despite knowing the situation, McKee remained inactive.

Ueberroth Booth had mentioned in the petition that an Orange County sheriff informed her that Peter was being taken advantage of.