A Massachusetts Superior Court judge blocked a Boston law firm’s request to be cleared of possible malpractice claims over a postnuptial agreement between Frank McCourt and his estranged wife, Jamie, over ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team,
the
Boston Globe
reported.
In 2004, attorney Lawrence Silverstein of law firm Bingham McCutchen drew up the agreement as the McCourts prepared to move to Los Angeles to become owners of the Dodgers, the
Globe
report said.
According to court records, the McCourts signed two sets of documents, which should have been identical in giving Frank McCourt sole ownership of the Dodgers. But one set of documents failed to identify Frank McCourt as the sole owner.
Silverstein, according to records, later caught the mistake and substituted what he believed were the correct documents — giving sole possession to Frank McCourt — without consulting either of the two. The error went unnoticed by the couple until Jamie McCourt filed for divorce in Los Angeles in 2009 and a bitter battle ensued.
In December, Silverstein testified to his mistake in a California Superior Court and the judge ruled that the documents were invalid because they didn’t provide evidence of an agreement on the ownership between the McCourts.
The team has sought bankruptcy protection and is embroiled in a dispute with Major League Baseball over a number of issues, including the McCourts’ alleged personal use of team funds, the
Globe
report noted. (Source:
Boston Globe,
Aug. 19, 2011.)
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