Baseball fans and divorce attorneys in Pasadena have been watching the divorce of Frank and Jamie McCourt for months. Interest is high in the breakup, as the fate of the Los Angeles Dodgers hangs in the balance. Now after taking 11 days to mull over a proposal that would finally settle the divorce case and determine ownership of the Dodgers, Jamie McCourt rejected the offer at the eleventh hour. With no end in sight and a last ditch effort at resolve tossed out, ownership of the baseball team is likely to remain a mystery into the new year.
Frank and Jamie McCourt have had the kind of billionaire divorce only possible in the world of professional sports and on the planet known as Los Angeles. Amid a tug of war over the Los Angeles Dodgers, which brings in millions of dollars in revenue every year, the McCourts have accused one another of corporate espionage, forgery, abuse of corporate power and infidelity. So one would assume the pair would be finally ready to end the soap opera for good. But Jamie McCourt is apparently prepared to keep fighting. Instead of taking the settlement, which would have given Frank sole ownership of the team, Jamie is relying on Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon to rule in her favor. Gordon has until January 18 to rule on the fate of the team.
Attorney for Frank McCourt Marc Seltzer has already voiced his frustration at the former Mrs. McCourt's rejection.
"We can only conclude that Jamie ... is allowing this matter to drag on further," Seltzer told The Los Angeles Times.
But courtroom watchers like lawyer Lisa Helfend Meyer believe Jamie's most recent move was a strategic one.
"The bottom line is, she feels she can do better by waiting for the judge's decision than compromising now," Meyer said.
Baseball fans are hoping Judge Gordon will reach a decision long before the Dodgers head into spring training in the new year.