Frank and Jamie McCourt divorce case: What happens now?
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The divorce trial between Frank and Jamie McCourt concluded Wednesday, with ownership of the Dodgers still unsettled. What happens next:
--Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon has 90 days to rule whether to enforce or invalidate an agreement that would grant Frank sole ownership of the Dodgers. Gordon has indicated to both sides he might not need the full 90 days, but he also has impressed upon both sides he would much prefer that they reach a settlement.
--The two sides are scheduled to resume mediation Oct. 9.
--If Gordon rules for Jamie, Frank will move immediately for a second trial, this one to argue that the Dodgers are his sole property because he bought them using a company he established before the McCourts married.
Victoria Cook, an attorney for Frank, said such a trial could be completed in one day because all the necessary evidence already is in the court record.
Mike Kump, an attorney for Jamie, said such a trial could take up to 60 days and in any case would require the collection of a significant amount of new evidence.
--Steve Susman, an attorney for Frank, said he did not believe the divorce trial — and the 11 months of court filings that preceded it — had harmed the Dodgers.
“If they’d have had a winning season, no one would have cared,” Susman said.
Dennis Wasser, an attorney for Jamie, said his “best guess” was that the parties would settle after Gordon rules. Bruce Cooperman, another attorney for Jamie, said he believed Frank might settle even if he wins, given the years and millions that could be involved in resolving divorce matters beyond the validity of the agreement.
“He’s got a public relations disaster to solve,” Cooperman said.
--Cooperman also said the two sides had not yet hit a combined $20 million in attorney fees.
“If they keep fighting, it’s going to get there,” he said.
Bill Shaikin