Dodgers owner Frank McCourt was sued on Monday by Bingham McCutchen, the Boston law firm that drafted the since-invalidated property agreement that McCourt had relied upon to establish his sole ownership of the Dodgers.

In the suit, Bingham asks a Massachusetts court to declare that the firm "met the standard of care for professionals providing legal representation," which would essentially deprive McCourt of the chance to sue Bingham for malpractice should he lose control of the Dodgers.

The suit alleges that McCourt "in recent months . . . has threatened to sue Bingham." The suit also claims that McCourt has cited the alleged malpractice in refusing to pay Bingham "hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid legal fees."

The suit further alleges: "Any injury, loss or expense he has sustained or will sustain were caused not by Bingham's conduct, but by his own widely-publicized financial problems, huge withdrawals of cash from the Dodgers, and strained relations with Major League Baseball. None of this is attributable to Bingham's work."

Spokesmen for Bingham and McCourt did not immediately return calls for comment.

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Los Angeles Dodgers chairman and owner Frank McCourt, before a game at Dodger Stadium, July 4, 2006. Credit: Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times