Dodgers owner to keep paying $225,000 a month to ex-wife

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will continue paying his ex-wife $225,000 a month in spousal support, at least until the couple's divorce trial in November, under an agreement reached on Wednesday.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon oversaw the negotiations between the attorneys for Frank McCourt and his former spouse, Jamie McCourt.

Their divorce was finalized in October 2010, a year after the couple announced their separation following some 30 years of marriage.

And in a sign of the high stakes involved, the judge said he was naming two retired judges to assist him in preparation for the November 17 nonjury trial slated to resolve outstanding issues in the divorce case.

Jamie McCourt is continuing to seek half ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers major league baseball team, arguing that the team should be considered marital community property.

Frank McCourt maintains the Dodgers belong to him exclusively, but a determination that his ex-wife has a stake in the team could force a sale of the storied franchise.

Major League Baseball in April assumed day-to-day control of the financially-troubled team, and in June the Dodgers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Gordon said he will not make any rulings regarding ownership of the team until the bankruptcy proceedings are completed.