Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt's divorce trial begins

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

Listen 1:01
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt's divorce trial begins
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt's divorce trial begins

The divorce trial of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his wife Jamie begins this morning. It’s the biggest celebrity divorce case in Southern California in years. It’ll be pretty expensive, too.

We don’t know who’ll own the Dodgers when the McCourts’ courtroom drama ends. But you could sign a good ballplayer for what they’re paying to get divorced. Molly Knight, who profiled the McCourts in “ESPN the Magazine,” talked about that with KPCC’s Alex Cohen.

"Legal experts are estimating this will wind up being the most expensive divorce case in the history of the State of California," says Knight. "They’re estimating $19 mllion dollars in legal fees when this is all said and done."

Who gets the fees? For Jamie: David Boies, who handled the Gore side of Bush v. Gore, plus the challenge to Proposition 8. For Frank: Steven Sussman, a fierce litigator. Neither specializes in divorce cases, and "They’re currently together working on a class action suit by a bunch of fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico against BP," says Knight. "So they’re actually working together on a case right now and they’re gonna square off against each other, which is gonna be just fantastic theater."

The show has an 11-day run that starts today.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today