Judge Ceases Sale of Dodgers Television Rights

Did someone make a huge error or did the Dodgers jump the gun on the sale of their TV rights?

A federal district court judge Friday granted a request by Fox Sports to stop, for now, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ sale of their TV rights and wrote that a lower court might have erred in letting the process begin.

The Dodgers had received the go-ahead by a federal bankruptcy court judge earlier this month to start marketing their future television rights about a year before their current contract with Fox allowed.

In appealing the bankruptcy court’s decision, Fox Sports, whose Prime Ticket channel has a deal to carry Dodgers games through 2013, wanted to prevent the Dodgers from shopping their next contract to any of Fox’s competitors any earlier than Nov. 30, 2012.

In ordering a stay against Fox’s plan, United States District Court Judge Leonard Stark wrote that he was likely to rule that the “no-shop” provision in Fox’s contract is enforceable against the Dodgers and that the lower court’s opinion was likely “based on one or more clearly erroneous findings of fact.” Earlier this month, United States Bankruptcy Court Judge Kevin Gross ruled that the “no-shop” provision was not enforceable in bankruptcy court.

Stark, who said he would issue a full opinion Tuesday, is to hear Fox’s appeal on Jan. 12.

Source: Ny Times