In the latest development in the legal fight among members of one of Baltimore’s most prominent families, a judge on Thursday said he will appoint a conservator to oversee the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos.

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Keith R. Truffer made the announcement after the parties conferred for almost 1 1/2 hours in the hallway and back in chambers and reached an agreement. The conservator will evaluate the law firm and decide what happens in the future.

“I find it to be altogether appropriate,” said Truffer, who commended the sides for finding a resolution. “All are in agreement with this consent order.”

Members of the Angelos family have been sparring in court since 2022 over the future of the law firm, family fortune and the Baltimore Orioles.

Peter Angelos, 93, is a billionaire who was the lead investor in a group that bought the Orioles in 1993. He built his legal empire as one of the first attorneys in the United States to take on asbestos litigation, and he represented the state of Maryland in a lawsuit against the tobacco industry that resulted in a $4.4 billion settlement.

In 2017, Angelos collapsed due to a failure of his aortic valve. He now experiences advanced dementia, according to court documents.

His older son, John Angelos, 55, serves as chairman and CEO of the Orioles. His younger son, Louis Angelos, 53, took over running the law firm.

Last summer, Louis Angelos filed a lawsuit against his older brother and mother, Georgia Angelos, asserting that they were pushing him out of the family fortune and the baseball team.

He recently filed an amended complaint that claims they “plundered” a bank account that initially contained more than $65 million shortly after Peter Angelos became incapacitated and incurred tens of millions of dollars in debt in his name to secretly acquire additional ownership in the Orioles at a “greatly discounted price.”

Georgia Angelos, 81, then sued Louis Angelos, alleging that he transferred the law firm to himself for a price to be determined later in a move tantamount to elder abuse. He maintains, though, that the move was necessary to bring the law firm into compliance, because an active, licensed member of the Maryland bar needed to assume ownership when his father became disabled.

In court documents, Georgia Angelos asked a judge to invalidate the transfer, strip her younger son of any authority over his father’s assets, and fine him more than $75,000 under a state law designed to help vulnerable, elderly adults in Maryland.

As part of the agreement, Truffer signed an order stating that the transfer documents were “hereby rescinded and declared invalid.”

Inside the Baltimore County Courts Building in Towson, Louis Angelos sat on one side of the courtroom with his counsel, while John Angelos and Georgia Angelos sat together on the opposite side in the first row of the gallery.

Following the court proceedings, Jeffrey Nusinov, one of Louis Angelos’ attorneys, said, “We are pleased that were able to work out the next steps for transitioning the law firm.”

“As he has for the last four years, Lou Angelos remains committed to the firm’s clients and his father’s legacy,” Nusinov said. “Lou will continue to be part of management along with the team of attorneys who successful worked by his father’s side successfully representing thousands of Marylanders for the last four decades.”

Meanwhile, John Angelos’ attorneys and Georgia Angelos’ attorneys characterized the resolution as a victory.

Daniel Petrocelli, one of John Angelos’ attorneys, said the agreement resolves a significant portion in the litigation.

Said Doug Gansler, one of Georgia Angelos’ attorneys: “This is a complete and utter victory for the Angelos family, the Angelos law firm, the lawyers of the law firm and Baltimore.”

—Baltimore Orioles reporter Andy Kostka contributed reporting to this article.

dylan.segelbaum@thebaltimorebanner.com

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