San Diego

Lawyers for former San Diego Chargers owner Eugene Klein and Los Angeles Raiders managing general partner Al Davis agreed Monday to try to reach an understanding on the value of the Raiders’ franchise to speed the resolution of a bitter court fight between the rival sports magnates.

That value--probably between $80 million and $100 million--would be the basis for the punitive damage phase of Klein’s case against Davis for malicious prosecution.

Last week, a San Diego County Superior Court jury awarded Klein more than $5 million in damages, finding that Davis had maliciously singled out Klein as a defendant in the Raiders’ $180-million antitrust lawsuit against the National Football League. Klein suffered a heart attack on the witness stand as he testified in that case in May, 1982.

If the lawyers can agree on the Raiders’ worth, the jurors will return to court Thursday to decide how much, if any, in further damages should be awarded Klein to punish Davis and the Raiders for naming the former Chargers owner in the earlier case. If no agreement is reached, the trial will resume at an undetermined date for testimony on the franchise’s value.

Davis’ attorneys said Monday that they would seek to have a mistrial declared in the case.

Although the lawyers declined to outline all the grounds they would cite in seeking to have the jury verdict set aside, attorney Robert Baxley said comments by Klein’s lawyers during their closing arguments last week would figure in the request.

Superior Court Judge Gilbert Harelson scheduled a hearing Wednesday on the mistrial motion.