Dodgers GM Ned Colletti yesterday conceded that the team's payroll "could change in the wake of a divorce settlement reached earlier this week" by Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt and his ex-wife, Jamie, according to Tony Jackson of ESPNLA.com. Colletti three weeks ago said that he "had been given a player-payroll budget for next year" and hinted that the budget "might be more than it was" in '11. But yesterday he said, "I don't think (the budget) is ever really set in stone. You start out with a basic idea to get you started and adjust as need be. I have a basic idea, always knowing that it could be adjusted either way." Jackson noted Colletti "didn't specifically address potential ways, if any, in which the budget could be directly impacted by either the settlement or a bankruptcy court hearing scheduled to begin on Oct. 31 that could determine Frank McCourt's ability to maintain ownership of the franchise" (ESPNLA.com, 10/19).
FIGHTING FOR FEES: The two law firms representing the Dodgers in their bankruptcy case -- Dewey & LeBoeuf and Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor -- fired back yesterday at the U.S. Trustee in the case seeking to have their proposed legal fees reduced. The trustee last month filed an objection seeking a decrease of $352,742 from $1.66M in initial legal fees, arguing they were doing work not necessary to the case. But the law firms responded their work on a denied interim financing bid from Highbridge Principal Strategies LLC still forced significant improvements in a loan ultimately consummated with MLB. "Counsel's work produced material and demonstrable benefits to the estates," the filing reads in part. A hearing on the matter is slated for Nov. 8. As the club's legal and public relations fees from the bankruptcy filing continue to escalate, more such battles on billings are likely (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
