McCourt settlement talks adjourn without agreement

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After four hours of settlement talks on Thursday, Frank and Jamie McCourt each left Los Angeles County Superior Court with no agreement and no comment.

Settlement talks are scheduled to resume June 8, with additional sessions set for June 13 and June 16.

Frank McCourt has told Major League Baseball officials that he expects to meet the Dodgers’ May 31 payroll. If he can, that would leave the Dodgers in play for the next session of settlement talks. If he cannot, MLB could seize the team and put it up for sale before then.

Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon met separately with each of the McCourts and accompanying attorneys on Thursday.

The McCourts held settlement talks before, during and after an 11-day divorce trial that ended in September. Gordon ruled that a marital property agreement that would have given Frank McCourt sole ownership of the Dodgers was invalid, giving Jamie McCourt the chance to claim half-ownership of the team under California community property law.

In the interim, Jamie McCourt has asserted her right to challenge a broadcast contract between the Dodgers and Fox that would serve as a financial lifeline for Frank McCourt.

He has asked Gordon to rule that she has no standing to challenge that contract. She has asked Gordon to order the immediate sale of the team. In the absence of a settlement -- and assuming MLB does not intervene before then -- Gordon will hear both requests at a June 22 hearing.

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-- Bill Shaikin