Family Law

California Appeals Court Tells James Sylvester He's Not Crazy Enough to Get Out of His Divorce Settlement

​Can Californians get out of a divorce by simply saying that they're fucking nuts? This past year, James Sylvester of Los Angeles gave it the ol' college try, attempting to reverse his divorce settlement and gain spousal support from his ex-wife by arguing that he was mentally unstable when he si ... More >>

When Will Dodger Divorce Case End? Wait Till Next Year.

Frank McCourt​If you're a Dodger fan, September is when you start to say, "Wait till next year." Not for the Dodgers to win the pennant, but for the McCourt divorce case to finally end.It certainly won't happen this year -- but maybe next? Outside court today, Michael Kump, one of Jamie McCourt's ... More >>

MLB Rejects Dodgers' TV Deal, Proving Frank McCourt Is Delusional

Running out of ways to hate this guy​Remember that fuss last week about the Dodgers' divorce settlement? Well, forget about it.According to the Times' Bill Shaikin, who's a good authority on this sort of thing, Major League Baseball has rejected the Dodgers' proposed TV contract.That renders the s ... More >>

Dodger Divorce Settlement Gives Frank McCourt A Narrow Path to Victory

Frank McCourt​As we detailed earlier, the Dodger divorce settlement announced this morning is a bit of a fraud. Ordinarily, you'd expect a settlement to resolve the issues, put all the nasty litigation in the past, and allow everybody to move on.This does not do that. In the likely scenario that M ... More >>

MLB Takes Control Of L.A. Dodgers

Frank McCourt, during a break from trial last fall​Updated below: Frank McCourt readies his weary legal armies for battle. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who has sat in Sphinx-like silence as the Dodgers have unraveled over the last 18 months, today took control of the team.As commissioner, Selig has ... More >>

Dodger Divorce: Despite What Bill Plaschke Says, It's Too Soon To Celebrate

Frank McCourt will cling the Dodgers with every legal argument at his disposal.​There was much rejoicing over last week's ruling in the McCourt divorce case, which made it more likely that the Dodgers will be put up for sale. Bill Plaschke started rounding the bases. T.J. Simers wanted to put a st ... More >>

Judge Voids Marital Agreement That Would Have Cut Jamie McCourt Out Of Dodgers Ownership

Jamie McCourt.​By Gene Maddaus and Dennis Romero Judge Scott Gordon dealt a major blow to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on Tuesday, voiding a 2004 marital agreement that would have deprived his ex-wife Jamie of a stake in the team. The ruling does not automatically make Jamie a co-owner of th ... More >>

Jamie McCourt Wins, Starts Putting Together A Team To Buy The Dodgers From Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt​Fresh from today's legal victory, Jamie McCourt has hired a banker to help her assemble a team of local investors to buy out her ex-husband's stake in the Dodgers.A source familiar with the matter says that Jamie has hired Joseph Ravitch, formerly of Goldman Sachs, to help put togeth ... More >>

Unwinding The Spin From The Dodger Divorce Ruling

Photo by Ted SoquiFrank McCourt: beaten but unbowed​Last March, Frank McCourt gave USA Today a rare interview about his divorce. He reassured fans that everything was business as usual with the Dodgers, and he rejected comparisons to the divorce of John and Becky Moores, which forced the sale of t ... More >>

Frank McCourt Accepts Dodger Divorce Deal, But Jamie Refuses [Updated]

Frank McCourt​Settlement talks between Frank and Jamie McCourt are at an impasse, clearing the way for Judge Scott Gordon to issue a ruling in the contentious Dodger divorce case.In a statement to the media, Frank's attorney, Marc Seltzer, said that Frank accepted the deal offered by mediator Pete ... More >>

Frank McCourt Divorce: Settlement Talks Break Down

Frank McCourt​Frank and Jamie McCourt met with a mediator on Saturday, but came away no closer to a settlement that would end their contentious divorce proceedings, according to an attorney involved in the case.The two sides remain miles apart. Frank continues to refuse any arrangement that would ... More >>

Frank McCourt Dodger Divorce Trial: Hapless Lawyer Larry Silverstein Perfect Target For Malpractice Suit

Larry Silverstein: The man who brought down Bingham?​As word spread that Frank and Jamie McCourt will go into a closed-door mediation session on Friday, it started to feel like this whole trial is an elaborate trap for the hapless Larry Silverstein, the lawyer who drafted the McCourts' ... More >>

Frank McCourt Divorce Trial: As Jamie's Testimony Resumes, How Will Frank Reconcile With Dodger Fans?

Frank McCourt​Jamie McCourt will be back on the stand today as the Dodger divorce trial returns from a two-week break.So far, there's no sign of a settlement -- though the trial has already taken a brutal toll on what remained of the McCourts' public standing. First, there was Bud Selig's hand-wri ... More >>

A Matter of Impressions

The Frank and Jamie McCourt Divorce — and the Dodgers' Future — May Well Come Down to Indentations From Signatures

Prosecution Attorney David Boies Batters Frank McCourt on the Stand, Puts Dodgers Owner on the Run

David Boies​Frank McCourt is back on the stand for his third day of testimony, which I'm sure he hopes will also be his last. He held up pretty well on Wednesday, but this morning David Boies came out blazing and put him on the run. You have to see Boies in action to appreciate his unique ... More >>

Dodgers Divorce Day Two; Frank McCourt Will Take Stand

​On Day One of the Dodger divorce case between Frank and Jamie McCourt, our own Gene Maddaus summed up proceedings, helpfully noting the Dodgers began the day six and a half out of the wild card, though last night Hiroki Kuroda threw a gem, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning for the win ... More >>

McCourt Divorce Trial: Steve Susman Goes On The Attack

Steve Susman If Frank McCourt had been born in Texas instead of Boston, and had become a lawyer instead of a real estate developer, he probably would have ended up a lot like his lead counsel, Steve Susman. Both are aggressive guys with appetites for big risks. Like McCourt, Susman w ... More >>

McCourt Divorce Trial, Day One: The Screaming Meanie

​Day One. The Dodgers are 6.5 games out of the wild card. About the most interesting thing that happened on the opening day of the Dodger divorce trial was that we learned the working title of Jamie's unpublished memoir. According to Frank's lead attorney, Steve Susman, it was "Screaming Me ... More >>

Fraud Alleged In Dodger Document Switch

Frank McCourt​Less than two weeks before the Dodger divorce case heads to trial, Jamie McCourt is raising new allegations of fraud against husband Frank, who claims to be the sole owner of the franchise.The case hinges on a marital property agreement signed in 2004, which gave Jamie the couple's h ... More >>

Bill Targets Spouses Who Hire Hit Men

​A bill that denies financial benefits to spouses who solicit the murder of their partners is scheduled to be heard in a state legislative committee on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The bill was inspired by John Pomroy, a Pomona police detective whose wife had tried to hire gang ... More >>

Jamie McCourt Can Live With $637K a Month

​Jamie McCourt, the estranged wife of Dodgers (co-?)owner Frank McCourt, is "satisfied" with Commissioner Judge Scott Gordon's ruling giving her $637,000 per month in spousal support, her attorney said today.Jamie McCourt had been asking for nearly $1 million per month. Frank McCourt, who original ... More >>

McCourt trial set for Aug. 30, will run through stretch drive

​The Dodger divorce trial will begin on Aug. 30, a Superior Court commissioner ruled today. The divorce trial of Frank and Jamie McCourt is expected to run at least through the end of September, meaning it should add some extra drama to the Dodgers' pennant run.At stake is the ownership of the tea ... More >>

Queer Town: Obama's Gay Moment

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama undoubtedly thrilled, and probably somewhat shocked, gays and lesbians last night when he spoke this line during his nomination speech in Denver: “I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian br ... More >>

Queer Town: Human Rights Campaign Endorses Obama

The Human Rights Campaign, the ultimate Washington D.C. lobbying group for gays and lesbians, has officially endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president.

QUEER TOWN: Obama and the Gays

On Tuesday, the Democratic Party will finally wrap up its long, hard fought primary season. There will be a lot of talk about who will ultimately be the best candidate to defeat Senator John McCain on Election Day, but gays and lesbians--in California and anywhere else--may want to consider somethin ... More >>

All in the Family

What, Him Worry? (Why Yes, Actually)

For Argentine director Daniel Burman, life is a movie

Raw Prejudice

The politics of gay marriage

Dating the Anti-Gay Backlash

Oval Office embraces homophobia

A City Hall Telenovela

Eastside councilman, longtime rivals locked in family dispute