"After U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff dismissed most of the counts in Irving Picard's $1 billion lawsuit against the owners of the Mets in September, the trustee in the Bernie Madoff liquidation case embarked on an aggressive campaign to dig up dirt.

Picard, according to filing made late Thursday by lawyers for the Mets' owners asking the judge in a summary judgment motion to dismiss the suit, served more than 100 document requests on the defendants and other parties. He took 20 depositions and even hired a private investigator to question acquaintances of the defendants."