The First Domino: Donald Sterling Files Suit Over 2014 Release of Audio Recordings

The saga of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling took another turn on Friday when he filed a lawsuit against TMZ Productions Inc. and V. Stiviano, his former mistress.

The lawsuit arises out of recordings taken by Stiviano of conversations between she and Sterling in which Sterling made a number of racist comments. One such comment involved him rebuking Stiviano for posing in a photograph with former NBA star Magic Johnson. The conversations occurred in September 2013, and were released in April 2014. Sterling …

June 10, 2014 Antitrust / NBA

Sterling to Oppose Forced Sale in Court

L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling released a statement on Monday titled, “The Team is not for Sale.” In his statement, Sterling claims he will not assent to the forced sale of his team and will fight it in court. Sterling intends to move forward with a $1 Billion lawsuit against the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver for the forced sale of the Clippers. Sterling argues that the NBA breached their contract by fining him and that it breached antitrust law by forcing a sale of …

June 10, 2014 NBA

Donald Sterling Throws in the Towel: the Clippers to Steve Ballmer

Donald Sterling decided to withdraw a $1 billion lawsuit against the NBA and agreed to sell the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. According to an official release, Shelly Sterling in her deal with Ballmer agreed to “indemnify the NBA against lawsuits from others, including Donald Sterling.” On the other hand, Donald Sterling’s lawyer Max Blecher stated that the decision to withdraw came as a result of the NBA’s agreement not to sue Sterling in return.

Sterling’s $1 billion lawsuit against …

June 9, 2014 NBA

Sterling Says the Forced Sale of Clippers is Illegal

Calling the forced sale illegal, Donald Sterling will challenge the NBA’s attempt to oust him. He claims that the attempt is illegal because it is based on illegal recording of his racial comments “during an inflamed lovers’ quarrel.”

According to Sterling’s response to the NBA, because the conversation was recorded without his knowledge, the recording is illegal under California law. Without the knowledge, Sterling also argues, he could not have “willfully” offended the league.

Sterling came under fire when a recording of his racist comments …

June 5, 2014 NBA

Steve Ballmer Pays $2 Billion for Clippers

The biggest deal ever in the NBA history was announced: Steve Ballmer has signed a binding contract to sell the Clippers with Shelly Sterling for $2 billion. While the sale is subject to an approval from the NBA, Donald Sterling’s attorneys argue that as a co-owner of the team, he must consent to the deal and he does not plan to do so.

Maxwell Blecher, one of Donald Sterling’s lawyers, had conveyed earlier that his client intends to keep the team in his family and …