There’s not a much better way to characterize this in a headline, because it is just messiness. The upshot, though:
- Fox has the TV rights and exclusive rights to negotiate with the Dodgers over the next TV deal until sometime next year;
- The Dodgers, even though they are to be sold, would like to be able to shop around for a new TV rights deal now, presumably because they believe it will make the team more valuable;
- To that end, the Dodgers have asked the bankruptcy court if, Fox’s contract rights notwithstanding, they can shop the rights. The court is still considering that request;
- Seeing all of this, last week Fox sent a letter to the investment bank which would handle the TV rights stuff, telling it to cease and desist, citing its contract rights;
- Now the Dodgers have sued Fox, claiming that doing so interfered with their rights to shop the rights.
So yeah, a mess. A mess that seems like it will be resolved well before anyone really gets into court, however. Either (a) because the lawsuit prevents the Dodgers from finding a buyer, which they are obligated to do by next April; or (b) by the bankruptcy court ruling one way or the other on the Dodgers’ request to auction TV rights which, unless I’m missing something, would moot all of this, no?
