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Major League Baseball officials could make an announcement of their intentions for the Montreal Expos sometime in the next couple of weeks, but a lawyer representing 14 former Expos limited partners says that no move or sale can take place before the last week of November.

As part of their racketeering lawsuit against former Expos owner Jeffrey Loria and executive vice president David Samson as well as Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig and president and COO Bob DuPuy, the limited partners have to be told 90 days in advance of the final transaction date, per an order issued in May by U.S. District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro-Benages.

"They have to send us a letter informing us what they are going to do and they haven't done that yet," said Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney with Weil, Gotshal & Manges, who is representing the plaintiffs. "So that means that nothing definite can happen in 90 days or else it comes in contempt of that order."

Published reports have indicated that the Expos decision could be made next month, though MLB spokesman Rich Levin said that there is no firm deadline. League officials are scheduled to present a draft of the 2004 schedule to the MLB Players Association on Sept. 1, though that could be pushed back.

Kessler said that if the league announces that it will move out of Montreal for the upcoming season, he will file an injunction on behalf of his clients to prevent that from happening. If the league announces it will play a limited schedule in San Juan again, Kessler said it is doubtful that move will trigger any action on his part.

San Juan; Northern Virginia; Portland, Ore.; Washington, D.C. and Monterrey, Mexico, are trying to woo the Expos.

The Oregon state legislature passed a bill this weekend that would use the income taxes of players and executives to finance a new stadium.

Last July, the former minority owners accused Loria and Samson of diluting their share in the team and purposely destroying baseball in Montreal in order to allow it to be moved. Loria then sold the Expos to baseball for $120 million before the 2002 season and he bought the Florida Marlins.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn3.com.