Ex-Mets Lenny Dykstra wants bankruptcy case dismissed

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lenny Dykstra, the former star baseball center fielder, has asked a federal judge to dismiss his bankruptcy case.

In a filing last week, the 47-year-old Dykstra said he would do a better job satisfying creditors' claims than the court-appointed trustee, whom he said is "only interested in dumping assets as quickly as possible."

Dykstra said he has "interested parties" to help him pursue claims outside the bankruptcy process against JPMorgan Chase & Co, which he has said is owed $12.9 million related to his 2007 purchase of a California mansion.

He added that he has "always been financially accountable for his actions and would like the legal right to all his debts and all his assets."

By ending the bankruptcy proceedings, Dykstra said he could "once again claim his role as a productive member of society."

A hearing in the case is set for April 6.

Dykstra filed for Chapter 11 protection last July after being sued more than 20 times over his entrepreneurial activities.

He lost control of the bankruptcy to the trustee, who in November converted the case to a Chapter 7 proceeding, which is used when debtors liquidate assets.

The trustee is selling assets including the mansion, which was once owned by Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, to pay creditors.

Dykstra retired from baseball in 1996 after 12 years with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. He helped the Mets win a World Series crown and the Phillies a pennant.

The case is: In re Lenny Kyle Dykstra, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, No. 09-18409.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Richard Chang)