Court asked to set trial date on Dodgers ownership issue by season’s start

Court asked to decide McCourt Dodgers ownership

LOS ANGELES — A court commissioner is considering whether ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers should be decided by spring training or later in the year.

A hearing is scheduled Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. Jamie McCourt is asserting an ownership stake in the team during divorce proceedings. Frank McCourt, who is listed on Major League Baseball filings as the owner, claims his estranged wife signed away her interests in the team years ago.

Both sides have waged a public battle over the issue, and Frank McCourt is asking the court to hold a trial to decide the issue in February. He wrote in a recent court declaration that media scrutiny of the divorce proceedings had become a distraction to the Dodgers organization.

Jamie McCourt’s attorneys say the case is complicated and will require months of preparation.