Divorce Settlement Will Determine Fate of L.A. Dodgers
There is a lot hanging in the balance of the divorce trial that is happening in Los Angeles between Frank and Jamie McCourt. It is not just homes, cars and alimony but in this case the ownership of the sports franchise the L.A. Dodgers will be determined by the outcome of the divorce proceedings.
McCourt claims he is the sole owner of the Dodgers but his soon to be ex-wife claims that the document granting McCourt ownership is invalid for two reasons. Her attorneys are arguing that that she did not have proper legal counsel regarding California community property law when signing a marital property agreement in 2004 when McCourt purchased the team and the couple moved from Massachusetts to LA. They are also contending that there is more than one version of the document and that the different versions contradict each other as to the ownership of the team.
In response, McCourt’s attorney Steve Susman has been quick to point that Jamie McCourt’s educational and professional background includes an MBA from MIT law degree, and experience practicing family law herself which he argues makes it difficult to believe she would not be able to understand a marital property agreement. Susman is also is attempting to prove that because of the risks involved Jamie did not want ownership of the team and herself proposed the agreement to establish her husband as sole owner. The Blog for the LA Times writes:
"Susman repeated that the agreement in question was her idea, that she insisted she did not want to own any part of the Dodgers so she would not risk losing a "nest egg" worth about $80 million should Frank McCourt fail to reverse the Dodgers' financial losses."
It will be interesting to see the way this settlement plays out as it involves not just the couple in question but in a way the entire city of L.A., as they wait to see who is the owner of their team. In the meant time legal experts from east coast to west and Los Angeles and Boston divorce lawyers are weighing in and all have their opinion as to who will get what.