The Battle of the McCourts

Collapse

Recommended Videos

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Chip Douglass
    Hall Of Fame
    • Dec 2005
    • 12256

    #1

    The Battle of the McCourts

    Frank McCourt claims wife Jamie's behavior was insubordinate, inappropriate


    As Jamie McCourt vanished from the Dodgers' website, Frank McCourt charged his estranged wife with insubordination and inappropriate behavior in a letter firing her as the team's chief executive.

    The letter, signed by Frank McCourt on letterhead that identifies him as the Dodgers' owner, advises Jamie McCourt to contact team human relations personnel to arrange "a time and date to gather your personal belongings." The letter is dated Wednesday, the day the Dodgers were eliminated from the National League Championship Series in Philadelphia.

    Jamie McCourt, who considers herself a co-owner of the team, is expected to initiate legal proceedings next week. The grounds for dismissal, as set forth by Frank McCourt in his termination letter, could lay the groundwork for part of his defense, experts said.

    The letter charges Jamie McCourt with "insubordination, non-responsiveness, failure to follow procedures, and inappropriate behavior with a direct subordinate."

    "I will tell the judge what I dispute and don't dispute," said Dennis Wasser, the attorney for Jamie McCourt. "I don't want to try this in the press."

    The letter was obtained and posted online Friday by tmz.com.

    Wasser confirmed its authenticity to The Times. Neither he nor Marshall Grossman, the attorney for Frank McCourt, would comment on its contents.

    By Friday, the day after the firing became public, the Dodgers had removed Jamie McCourt's name from the staff directory posted online and taken down her biography.

    They also had eliminated the section devoted to one of Jamie McCourt's treasured community initiatives, an outreach program that "brings women closer to the game, brings the game closer to women's lifestyles and helps inspire women to use their voices," according to her biography in the Dodgers' media guide. The Web page for the Women's Initiatives Network, or WIN, now redirects readers to the Dodgers' community relations home page.

    The Dodgers expect to start a new women's program next year, spokesman Josh Rawitch said.

    Frank McCourt's letter refers to the law that permits a company to fire an employee not under contract at any time, without saying why.

    "If there is no contract, you don't need good cause," said Michael Waterstone, employment law professor at Loyola Law School.

    Why, then, would Frank McCourt explicitly cite several causes for the dismissal in the letter?

    "It could be one of two reasons," Waterstone said. "One could be emotions that have nothing to do with legal issues."

    The other, he said, could be an anticipation that Jamie McCourt might argue she had an oral contract, a reasonable expectation that a husband and wife working together and presenting themselves as the top executives of the club would not have a written contract between them.

    "He's moving the first chess piece to respond to that," Waterstone said.

    Frank McCourt claims he is the sole owner of the Dodgers. If Jamie McCourt can establish in court that she is a co-owner of the team and not an employee, Waterstone said, then issues surrounding when and how an employer can fire an employee might not be relevant.

    The McCourts announced their separation Oct. 14, one week before the termination letter.

    Angela Reddock, a Los Angeles employment lawyer, said that timing could raise questions if Frank McCourt cites those causes for dismissal in his defense.

    "If she was having those issues, why wasn't she terminated before?" Reddock said. "What makes it interesting is the overlay of pending divorce."
    LOL.

    This is going to be fun.
    Last edited by Chip Douglass; 10-24-2009, 11:40 AM.
    I write things on the Internet.

  • rsox
    All Star
    • Feb 2003
    • 6309

    #2
    Re: The Battle of the McCourts

    Originally posted by Olson-for-Heisman
    This is going to get ugly.

    Comment

    • DTX3
      Hall Of Fame
      • Jun 2003
      • 13022

      #3
      Re: The Battle of the McCourts

      Originally posted by Olson-for-Heisman
      Fun? Like rsox said, this is going to get ugly. However, Jamie is getting poked by the Pillsbury DoughBoy heir so might not be a bad thing if she gets the team.
      XBL: DTX3
      PSN: DTX987
      WII U: DodgerBlue760

      Comment

      • Chip Douglass
        Hall Of Fame
        • Dec 2005
        • 12256

        #4
        Re: The Battle of the McCourts

        Originally posted by DTX3
        Fun? Like rsox said, this is going to get ugly. However, Jamie is getting poked by the Pillsbury DoughBoy heir so might not be a bad thing if she gets the team.
        It was a sarcastic remark.

        Hence, I agree it's going to get ugly.
        I write things on the Internet.

        Comment

        • DTX3
          Hall Of Fame
          • Jun 2003
          • 13022

          #5
          Re: The Battle of the McCourts

          This tramp...

          XBL: DTX3
          PSN: DTX987
          WII U: DodgerBlue760

          Comment

          • sb24
            MVP
            • Dec 2008
            • 3165

            #6
            Re: The Battle of the McCourts

            Originally posted by DTX3
            I have heard absurd before but this adds a whole new meaning.

            Comment

            • DTX3
              Hall Of Fame
              • Jun 2003
              • 13022

              #7
              Re: The Battle of the McCourts

              While the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies battle it out in the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers' owners are fighting amongst themselves in a battle that could result in the sale of the National League West franchise.

              The fight centers around a controversy of who owns the Dodgers. Husband and wife Frank and Jamie McCourt, who are in the process of a divorce, each claim ownership of the team. Frank McCourt claims he's the sole owner while his wife says she is an equal co-owner. If a judge decides a property agreement that Jamie McCourt signed in 2004 giving her husband ownership is invalid, many experts say the court can order the sale of the team.

              Jamie McCourt's attorney said that his client has already lined up financing for a possible bid to buy out her future ex-husband. "Whatever it takes to buy Frank McCourt out, she's got," attorney Bert Fields told the Los Angeles Times.

              But Frank McCourt is not budging. "Congratulations to her for being a prospective buyer," attorney Marshall Grossman told the Times. "There is no seller. Perhaps she could explore some other sport."

              Should a court order a sale, one hurdle is that Major League Baseball owners still need to approve the bidder for the fourth-most valuable franchise in the league, according to Forbes. Additionally, the team could draw outsiders who missed out on other opportunities. Teams recently on the market include the Chicago Cubs, which was sold to the Ricketts family; the San Diego Padres, which was sold (also because of a divorce) to Jeff Moorad; and the Texas Rangers, which is nearing a sale.

              Forbes values the Dodgers at $722 million, a significant jump since the McCourts acquired the team five years ago for $431 million. - Gerald Magpily
              Here's to the sell movement.
              XBL: DTX3
              PSN: DTX987
              WII U: DodgerBlue760

              Comment

              • Marino
                Moderator
                • Jan 2008
                • 18113

                #8
                Re: The Battle of the McCourts

                Please sell the Dodgers. Please.

                Comment

                Working...