Washington sports fans may have heard that Frank McCourt, the former owner of the Dodgers, wants his ex-wife to be responsible for nearly $2 million in legal fees. He reportedly believes that she should pay for these fees after she attempted to contest their divorce settlement but was unsuccessful.
When the divorce settlement was finalized in 2010, the ex-wife received approximately $131 million and a number of homes that were purchased during the marriage. However, the ex-wife later argued that she was owed $770 million because he failed to represent the full value of the Dodgers. This was argued after the team sold for a figure of more than $2 billion. However, the judge did not agree and shot down the lawsuit in September 2013.
McCourt argued that his attorneys spent approximately seven months fighting the allegations that were then turned down by the judge. As such, he believes that his ex-wife should pay the attorneys’ fees. A hearing was set for March 12.
In the state of Washington, a high asset divorce can quickly turn complicated, especially when there is an emotional aspect to the divorce. Because some property, such as luxury homes and vehicles, cannot be split equally down the middle, an attorney could help their client determine an accurate estimate of all financial and physical assets.
There are a number of decisions that an attorney can assist their client with during a divorce. For example, they could determine what assets are considered marital, whether marital homes should be awarded to a party or whether it should be sold and how jointly held debt can be handled in the most amicable way possible.
Source: USA Today, “Former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt seeks legal fees from ex-wife“, February 05, 2014