Will Divorce Divide the Dodgers?
One high-profile divorce case has peaked the interest of both Los Angeles sports fans and divorce attorneys in Pasadena. The outcome of the increasingly contentious divorce of Los Angeles Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt and estranged wife Jamie could change the face of a major league baseball team -- one that already seems to be in transition.
McCourt Broderick Limited Partnership purchased the Dodgers in 2004 from the News Corporation for an estimated $430 million dollars. Since then, Jamie served as the team's chief executive until last season, when she was fired. Now legal experts and baseball bloggers alike are wondering if Jamie will seek part ownership of the team as part of the divorce settlement. The deciding factor? According to sources, the fate of Jamie's involvement with the Dodgers relies on a single document, which states that if the couple divorces, Frank gets the Dodgers while Jamie lays claim to the couple's multiple homes.
Still, lawyers for Mrs. McCourt argue that she spent decades trying to help build her husband's many businesses, including the Dodgers, and that this document diminishes her role as a business partner. Jamie was dealt another blow when Frank flatly declined to pay alimony until ordered by a judge to do so. Mrs. McCourt told The New York Times that despite the sexist undertones of the baseball business, she intends to be co-owner of the Dodgers and to resume her role as chief executive for the team. Frank McCourt and his legal team, naturally, have other ideas. McCourt's people say the document signed years ago is iron clad and it certifies Mr. McCourt as sole owner of the Dodgers.
Family lawyers say the case is difficult as it blurs the line of business and family. The usual "everybody gets half" protocol in California is obscured by the allegation that Mrs. McCourt may or may not be entitled to half of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The case is set to go in front of a judge some time next month.
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