The file
person

Donald Sterling

American business magnate

Entries
10
On the record
7
Stories
1
Latest entry
Nov 2016

The record

Compiled by the MrScandal desk from the documents below ยท Desk editor Gustavs ฤ’rkลกฤทis-Kreicbergs ยท Nov 9, 2026

Before the 2014 recording that ended his ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling's record was mostly in court over the apartment buildings he rented out in Los Angeles, and over his management of the team. In 2003 the nonprofit Housing Rights Center and 19 tenants sued him, a case that ended in a confidential settlement in 2005; ESPN The Magazine reported the plaintiffs' legal fees alone came to $4.9 million.

In August 2006 the Justice Department sued him, alleging housing discrimination centered on refusing to rent to African-Americans in the Koreatown area. He agreed in November 2009 to pay $2.73 million, including a $100,000 civil penalty, while the defendants denied any liability. His attorney said the fair housing attorneys could not identify a single individual who was wrongfully denied the right to rent an apartment. Sterling himself declined to be interviewed for ESPN The Magazine's 2009 report on the housing cases.

On April 29, 2014, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned him for life from the Clippers and the league, fined him the $2.5 million maximum allowed under the NBA Constitution and asked the Board of Governors to force a sale. Sterling fought the sale to Steve Ballmer in court that July, suing the NBA, Silver and his wife Shelly Sterling for fraud, alongside a separate federal suit seeking $1 billion.

Roles and honours on the record

  • 2009 Los Angeles landlord and defendant in a Justice Department fair housing suit, settled for $2.73 million source
  • 2014 Owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, banned for life by the NBA on April 29, 2014 source

Every entry, newest first

Last entry Nov 2016
  1. Reported

    In November 2016, Sterling settled the lawsuit he had brought against the NBA over the sale. NBA ban cost Donald Sterling $2.5M; the Clippers sold for $2B

  2. Ruled

    On August 12, 2014, the $2 billion Clippers sale to Steve Ballmer closed after a probate court ruled Shelly Sterling could proceed as sole trustee. NBA ban cost Donald Sterling $2.5M; the Clippers sold for $2B

  3. Ruled

    On April 29, 2014, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the league for life and fined him $2.5 million, the NBA constitution's maximum. NBA ban cost Donald Sterling $2.5M; the Clippers sold for $2B

  4. Reported

    On April 25, 2014, TMZ Sports published a recording of Sterling telling V. Stiviano it bothered him that she associated with Black people. NBA ban cost Donald Sterling $2.5M; the Clippers sold for $2B

  5. Ruled

    The NBA fined Sterling $10,000 in January 1982. NBA ban cost Donald Sterling $2.5M; the Clippers sold for $2B

Stories in this file

Outdoor basketball hoop and net against a dark night sky: BANNEDSports ยท 8d ago

๐Ÿ€ NBA ban cost Donald Sterling $2.5M; the Clippers sold for $2B

He bought the team for $12M in 1981, sued the league for $1B and lost, then sold under NBA pressure in 2014. ๐Ÿ“Œ

The record, entry by entry

  1. 2003 Filed The Housing Rights Center and 19 tenants sued Sterling. The case ended in a confidential 2005 settlement of undisclosed size; the plaintiffs' legal fees alone totaled $4.9 million, ESPN The Magazine reported. ESPN The Magazine report
  2. 2006-08 Filed The U.S. Justice Department sued Sterling, alleging housing discrimination, mainly refusing to rent to African-Americans. ESPN The Magazine report
  3. 2009-11-03 Official The Justice Department announced that Sterling agreed to pay $2.73 million, including a $100,000 civil penalty, to settle its housing discrimination suit. The defendants denied liability, and his attorney Robert Platt said the fair housing attorneys could not identify a single individual wrongfully denied the right to rent. ESPN report
  4. 2014-04-29 Ruled NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers or the NBA, barred him from games, practices, team facilities and Board of Governors meetings, fined him $2.5 million, the maximum under the NBA Constitution, and asked the owners to force a sale. NBA, release
  5. 2014-07-22 Filed Sterling sued the NBA, Silver and Shelly Sterling in Superior Court, alleging fraud and violations of corporate law in the attempted $2 billion sale of the Clippers to Steve Ballmer and seeking to freeze it. A separate federal suit he brought against the NBA sought $1 billion. ESPN report

Documents

Sources behind this file

  1. 10 News report: law firms' $270,000 fee lawsuit proceeds ยท Report, Mar 28, 2017
  2. Los Angeles Times report: Sterling settles NBA lawsuit ยท Report, Nov 18, 2016
  3. Los Angeles Times report: half of the $2 billion still in escrow ยท Report, Apr 15, 2015
  4. Los Angeles Times report: Ballmer officially owner, sale closed ยท Report, Aug 12, 2014
  5. Los Angeles Times report: Sterling loses court battle over the sale ยท Report, Jul 28, 2014
  6. NBA statement: Adam Silver bans Donald Sterling for life ยท Statement, Apr 29, 2014
  7. Time report on the ban and fine ยท Report, Apr 29, 2014
  8. TMZ Sports report on the recording ยท Report, Apr 25, 2014

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