McCourt marital deal on Dodgers ruled invalid

LOS ANGELES — A judge has ruled that a postnuptial marital agreement giving sole ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers to Frank McCourt is not valid — a decision that isn't expected to affect team operations but means the Dodgers could be shared under California community property law.

Jamie McCourt's lawyer, David Boies, said his client was pleased with the decision, but she wants a reasonable resolution of divorce negotiations that involved the postnuptual agreement.

"It's in the interest of her, her family, Dodger fans and the team," to settle, Boies told The Associated Press. "She's not going to insist on exactly half, but if she's prepared to compromise, Frank has to look at this case with some realism."

Lawyers for Frank McCourt will likely ask Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon for a hearing to argue he is the sole owner of the Dodgers because he has title to the team, stadium and surrounding land — worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Without the agreements in place, it becomes the court's job to determine which property is Frank's and which is Jamie's based on who holds legal title to the team," attorney Marc Seltzer said in a statement. "The facts are crystal clear on this point. The Dodgers are solely in Frank's name."

The tentative ruling by Judge Gordon came after an 11-day trial that focused on whether the signed pact between Jamie and Frank McCourt in 2004 should decide who owns the team.

Frank McCourt contends the agreement gives the Dodgers to him. His estranged wife argues no one told her she gave up her purported stake in the team by signing the document.

The couple have been embroiled in a nasty and costly divorce trial, where legal bills alone are estimated to top $20 million.

The case has provided the public a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a Major League Baseball team. Through testimony and reams of court documents, observers have learned about the Dodgers' finances and how the former couple's lavish lifestyle affected the team.

Although both sides gave differing accounts of what their intentions were when they signed the agreement, one aspect was clear — neither of them read the agreement closely enough. The pact spelled out how their assets would be divided in the event of a divorce.

Jamie McCourt, 56, maintained she was the team's co-owner and would never have signed away her purported stake in the Dodgers had she know the agreement took it away from her.

Frank McCourt, 57, countered the pact was his wife's idea so she could protect her separate property — a group of opulent homes — from his business creditors.

Both took the witness stand during the trial and gave snapshots of their nearly 30-year marriage.

Jamie McCourt's legal team argued the pact wasn't valid because their client didn't have her own attorney when they signed the agreement, and Frank McCourt eventually agreed to make all their assets community property.

Frank McCourt's attorneys countered that their client is recognized by Major League Baseball as the sole owner of the Dodgers, and Jamie McCourt never identified herself as a co-owner.

The Dodgers were hemorrhaging tens of millions of dollars every year under previous owners before the team was purchased in 2004 for about $430 million most of which was financed by short-term loans, according to court documents.

Jamie McCourt testified that she and Frank McCourt frequently talked about selling the team if they couldn't turn around its financial misfortunes.

She was fired in October 2009 as the team's CEO, a job that paid her $2 million salary. She filed for divorce the same month, citing irreconcilable differences. The McCourts have been married since 1979.

Most of the McCourts' assets have been tied up in real estate and they both argued in court documents they have been strapped for cash, despite their affinity for spending. Court documents indicated the former couple has taken out more than $100 million in loans from Dodger-related businesses.

They also have disagreed about the value of the Dodgers and its facilities. Frank McCourt's legal team puts it somewhere between $800 million and $900 million, while Jamie McCourt estimates the potential amount at more than $2 billion.

The Dodgers have been busy in the off-season, acquiring ex-Padres pitcher John Garland, Giants infielder Juan Uribe and hurlers Hiroki Kuroda and Ted Lilly.