The lawsuit that attempted to have the Pat Bowlen Trust removed from power has been dismissed, multiple outlets reported Wednesday. The news comes less than two weeks after the lawsuit was stayed.
Two of Bowlen’s daughters, Amie Klemmer and Beth Bowlen Wallace, filed the suit in 2019. Now that it has been dismissed, fans are left wondering what comes next in the team’s ownership saga.
It’s unclear if a settlement was reached between Klemmer, Wallace and the trust, but that seems to be a logical possibility. And, according to The Athletic‘s Nicki Jhabvala, it also seems “quite plausible that the team could be sold.”
The trust — led by Joe Ellis, Rich Slivka and Mary Kelly — has been grooming one of Bowlen’s other daughters, Brittany, to eventually take over as the team’s next controlling owner. If her siblings cannot agree on Brittany becoming the next owner, though, Ellis has indicated that such a scenario might lead to the team being sold.
The franchise is worth an estimated $3.2 billion, but the team would likely have a much larger price tag if put on the market. Earlier this month, Broncos Wire published a list of eight potential candidates who might be interested in buying the team.
In a recent poll, more than 60% of Broncos fans said they would prefer an ownership group (perhaps led by Peyton Manning) to control the team. Brittany Bowlen received the second-most votes among fans (about 24%).
It remains to be seen what the next steps will be for the team, but with the lawsuit dismissed, a resolution seems to be drawing closer.
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