A non-jury trial to determine whether Jamie McCourt owns part of the Los Angeles Dodgers along with her estranged husband will take place over 11 days beginning Aug. 30, a court commissioner said Tuesday.
The schedule set up by Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon includes both consecutive and non-consecutive trial days, with a Sept. 30 targeted end date.
The McCourts are divorcing after more than 30 years of marriage.
Frank McCourt's lawyers preferred an earlier start to the trial, which originally was scheduled for May, while Jamie McCourt's attorneys wanted a later beginning.
Frank McCourt maintains an agreement signed by the couple during their marriage gives him sole possession of the Dodgers. He says the couple had a practice of dividing their assets and that she supported that approach to ensure they could be protected from any creditor claims against himself or the Dodgers.
He also contends he permitted her to call herself a co-owner of the team only in the "interests of family harmony."
But Jamie McCourt states in a sworn declaration that "there was never any discussion that only Frank owned the Dodgers or that it was his separate property."
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Gordon is currently mulling Jamie McCourt's bid for $1 million per month in temporary spousal support pending the outcome of the trial. Her estranged husband has offered her $150,000 monthly.
Frank McCourt fired his wife as the Dodgers' chief executive a day after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Phillies in October. Less than a week later, she filed for divorce.
