Ryne Sandberg’s Children File Lawsuit Against Stepmother Over Trust Dispute

CHICAGO — The children of Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg have initiated legal action against their stepmother, Margaret Sandberg, alleging she improperly managed their father’s trust. In a lawsuit filed in April in Lake County Circuit Court, Justin and Lindsey Sandberg claim that Margaret attempted to alter the control of the trust, which governs their father's name, image, and likeness rights, in a manner that contradicts his expressed wishes.

According to the siblings, this alteration would dismantle the “collaborative arrangement” that Ryne Sandberg intended to establish between his second wife and his biological children. Their claims were first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday. The attorneys representing the Sandberg siblings, Norm Finkel and Adam Hirsch, did not respond to inquiries regarding the case, and attempts to reach Margaret Sandberg for comment were unsuccessful.

Ryne Sandberg, affectionately known as “Ryno,” is celebrated for his legendary baseball career, highlighted by the memorable “Sandberg Game” on June 23, 1984, where he hit two crucial home runs. He received nine Gold Glove and seven Silver Slugger awards and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. Sandberg passed away last July at the age of 65 after battling metastatic prostate cancer, a diagnosis he revealed the previous year.

The lawsuit asserts that Sandberg had left explicit instructions for his estate, designating Margaret, Justin, and Lindsey as equal co-trustees of his name, image, and likeness rights. He married Margaret Koehnemann in 1995 following his divorce from his first wife. In the trust, he expressed his desire for decisions regarding his legacy to be made collaboratively, stating, “It would disappoint me if they were unable to make decisions on my (name, image and likeness) in a positive and collaborative manner.”

After his passing, the siblings allege that Margaret disregarded their involvement and failed to facilitate the establishment of the trust, which they say contradicts their father's intentions. The lawsuit also references a note purportedly written by Ryne on July 16, just days before his death, suggesting changes to the trust's management. However, the siblings argue that the note is not legally binding as it was not communicated to them before their father's death and question his capacity to make such amendments given his medical condition.

In light of these claims, Justin and Lindsey Sandberg are seeking a court ruling to invalidate the note as an amendment to the trust and compel their stepmother to properly establish it. The next court hearing is set for July 31.