New Jersey baseball fans may be interested in the ongoing saga of former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt’s divorce. On Jan. 30, McCourt filed a petition asking the judge to order his ex-wife to pay him nearly $2 million in legal fees he incurred after she sued to set aside their divorce settlement. Her request was ultimately unsuccessful.
McCourt and his wife entered into a divorce settlement in 2010. Two years later, McCourt sold the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion. McCourt’s ex-wife claimed that the former owner had undervalued the team when they negotiated the monetary agreement. As a result, she attempted to reopen the case. She was seeking an additional $770 million. In September 2013, a judge denied her request. McCourt now claims that his ex-wife should have to bear the cost of his attorney’s fees incurred during the seven months he spent in litigation following the settlement. The court will hear arguments on the motion on March 12.
McCourt’s ex-wife was awarded several luxury homes owned by the couple and approximately $131 million in the original agreement. The motion claims that she can easily afford the $2 million in fees that she caused her ex-husband to pay.
Divorce litigation does not always end with the final judgement. In some cases, it is necessary for the parties to go back to court for issues such as contempt of court, custody modifications or to attack the outcome. A lawyer could help negotiate a resolution to post-judgment issues to avoid going back to court. A lawyer could also help seek fees incurred due to the other spouse’s behavior.
Source: USA Today, “Former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt seeks legal fees from ex-wife“, February 05, 2014
