Attorneys for the Frank and Jamie McCourt met with a judge Wednesday in an effort to determine who should pay the bills and how much they should pay.
Special Section: Court Documents, Key Events in the McCourt Era, Past Reports
Jamie McCourt wanted $9.9 million for her legal bills and $7.5 million for support and mortgage. Frank McCourt's attorneys requested that there should be no payment for legal bills and that the support figure should be dropped to something more in line with the $5 million he receives annually.
On Wednesday, the judge chose not to lower the support, ruling that Jamie McCourt would continue to receive $225,000 per month in spousal support and $400,000 per month for maintaining the couple's residences.
Frank McCourt has said Jamie McCourt should be ordered to pay the mortgages herself or the properties should be sold. But, until another hearing is held in November, he will continue to pay what he has been paying in spousal support.
The other big issue at hand -- the ownership of the team -- remains undecided. The family law judge decided not to rule on Jamie McCourt's stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving that matter to the Dodgers' bankruptcy judge.
But, the judge will appoint 2 other judges to navigate through the hundreds of other assets belonging to the couple, specifically real estate, to determine how much money is at stake.
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Attorneys for the McCourts met with the judge in chambers for about 90 minutes Wednesday morning.
The meeting comes more than 20 months after the couple filed for divorce.
During that period, attorneys for the couple have argued over expenses, Major League Baseball seized financial control of the team, attorneys sparred over a television rights deal, and bankruptcy proceedings continued in a Delaware courtroom, but the issue of Dodgers' ownership remains undecided, now pushed back to the Dodgers' bankruptcy judge.
In a motion filed in July, Frank McCourt said he has paid more than $5 million to cover mortgages on six homes and a condo during the last year. The motion indicates he has paid $2.7 million in temporary spousal support.
One of the properties has been sold, Dennis Wasser, an attorney for Jamie McCourt, said Wednesday. The money from that property will be set aside for attorney's fees.
"I think it is fair to say that more properties will be sold," he said.
Jamie McCourt has said her ex has misrepresented his financial standing.
"Neither one of them are running out of money, but compare the amount of money she has to the amout of money he has, and the amount of money he has is substantial," Wasser said.
As for ownership of the Dodgers, the same judge who will hear Wednesday's arguments -- Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon -- ruled in December that the couple's postnuptial martial agreement was invalid. That agreement would have given Frank McCourt sole ownership of the team, but Gordon's ruling allowed Jamie McCourt, who was fired as the team's CEO by her former husband, to seek half the franchise under California's community property law.
The McCourts had reached a settlement that was contingent on MLB's approval of the TV deal with Fox worth up to $3 billion. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig rejected the deal, saying it wasn't in the best interests of baseball and the money would be used for McCourt's "personal needs.''
Documents: McCourts' Divorce Settlement Agreement | List of Dodgers Creditors
Jamie McCourt has accused her ex-husband of waging an "ongoing jihad" with Major League Baseball, which assumed financial control of the team in mid-April.
The Dodgers filed for bankruptcy protection in June, blaming a cash-flow crisis on MLB's refusal to approve a multibillion-dollar TV deal that Frank McCourt was counting on to keep the franchise afloat.
Several hearings have been conducted in a Delaware bankruptcy court regarding the team's finances. Creditors in the case met last month to find out more about the team's situation.
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