Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt, Wife Jamie Beginning Ugly Divorce

The personal and professional lives of Frank and Jamie McCourt have certainly seen better days. The two had been married since 1979, having four children together. They were working together in running one of the most recognizable sports franchises in the world, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, citing irreconcilable differences, the two are going through divorce proceedings -- which appear neither friendly nor ending anytime soon.


Normally, this wouldn't really be newsworthy, considering the owner and his wife splitting up is more a personal matter than a business one. This isn't normal, though. Jamie was the team's CEO -- at least until Frank fired her a week ago, after they were already separated. Jamie is also trying to claim she is part owner of the team, which would technically mean Frank couldn't have fired her.

"Frank has no right to purport to terminate me. We are co-owners of the Dodgers," she said. "Not only has Frank publicly held us out as co-owners of the franchise, he has also admitted this fact in front of our estate planning counsel."

Most recently, Frank filed papers opposing his wife's demand to be reinstated as the team's chief executive, claiming she had an affair with her bodyguard, Jeff Fuller. Allegedly, Jamie took a trip in early July to Israel on team business, but then headed to France for 2 1/2 weeks and billed the Dodgers for the trip. Frank claims that before his wife went on the trip she asked for Fuller to be her driver.

There was also a 911 call made by Jamie McCourt in early September, but there are conflicting stories as to what actually happened. Frank McCourt's lawyer, Michael Grossman, claimed that the 911 call Jamie made was phony. According to the police report that was filed, Frank came over to the house while she was swimming, which prompted her to make the call.

Here's the rest of the drama, and where things currently stand:

• Jamie has filed for divorce and is requesting that she be reinstated as CEO of the Dodgers. She is seeking $320,967 per month in spousal support, but $487,634 if she's not reinstated at her old post. She claims she needs this much money for living expenses -- which Frank allegedly hasn't been paying since July -- and to pay her attorneys. Her point is that the divorce will be a lengthy, complicated and expensive process. Frank has unlimited funds, she says, considering the couple is worth over $1.2 billion and has an estimated cash flow of more than $10 million per year.

"I do not believe it is appropriate that I should be required to invade our savings to pay my living expenses and the costs of this divorce action while Frank receives (or has access to) millions of dollars in distributions perquisites and benefits from the various Dodger related entities and other companies."

• Frank claims he's the sole owner of the Dodgers, Jamie claims they both own the Dodgers -- a team worth an estimated $800 million. Frank's name is listed as the owner with Major League Baseball, but rules require only one person be named as the "controlling person." Jamie's argument is that she was just as much a part of the ownership group as Frank. She has been the highest ranking female in baseball since 2005.

• Jamie believes that her firing was part of a "calculated plan to try and humiliate and ostracize" her by her soon-to-be-ex-husband.

• She is also seeking to have a laundry list of "privileges" reinstated, such as: private jet travel, five-star hotel accommodations, use of the owners' suite at Dodger Stadium, Blackberry charges, flowers for her office, country club dues and possession of two of the couple's nine properties.

• The attorneys working the case are expecting to ring up a bill of over $2 million.

There are so many layers to this that it's going to be a long offseason for the team who fell one step short of the World Series.