Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Clippers Sold To Steve Balmer For $2 Billion - Finally Official

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #31
    Judge says Donald Sterling trial to start as scheduled July 7 - ESPN Los Angeles

    LOS ANGELES -- Donald Sterling's mental competency will no longer be an issue in next week's probate court trial to determine whether his estranged wife Shelly Sterling had the authority to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer after attorneys from both sides agreed Monday to narrow the focus of the trial to whether she followed the provisions of the family trust regarding competency and whether she has a responsibility to complete the sale after Donald Sterling revoked the trust on June 9.

    The attorneys agreed to narrow the focus after Judge Michael Levanas said in court that he was not inclined to delay the July 7 hearing to accommodate a doctor who had been retained by Donald Sterling, that could not be present during next week's trial due to previous professional obligations and travel plans.

    At issue now is whether or not Shelly Sterling followed the provisions of the trust dealing with mental competency, which allowed her to sell the team without her husband's explicit consent. Donald Sterling's lawyers said they will argue that she did not follow those provisions --which required two experts to submit letters in writing that he was not competent to conduct his own legal and business affairs -- and that she used undue influence to get him to submit to the examinations.

    In previously filed court documents, it was revealed that Donald Sterling submitted to CT and PET scans at Cedar's Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on May 16, and neurological examinations on May 19 and 22. On the same day he submitted to the second examination at his house, Donald Sterling sent a letter to the NBA informing them he'd consented to give his wife the authority to negotiate a sale of the team.

    Gary Ruttenberg, an attorney for Donald Sterling, argued in court Monday that the letter on May 22 was not a blanket authorization for Shelly Sterling to sell the team, but simply a consent to let her negotiate with the NBA.

    Pierce O'Donnell, the lawyer for Shelly Sterling, said after the hearing that he was confident his client had followed the provisions of the trust and there was no grounds to argue she'd unduly influenced the doctor's diagnoses, as Donald Sterling had consented to allow her to negotiate the sale after both examinations had been performed.

    Comment


    • #32
      Donald Sterling lawsuit filing claims doctor's exam compromised - ESPN Los Angeles

      LOS ANGELES -- Donald Sterling will argue that the findings of one of the doctors who examined him to determine his mental capacity was compromised because the doctor went out for dinner and drinks with him, his estranged wife Shelly Sterling and a family friend after his examination, his attorney Bobby Samini told ESPN.com on Monday night.

      In court documents filed last week, Donald Sterling's attorneys said that "it was unclear at what point a medical examination ceased and a social interaction began, with the consumption of alcoholic beverages taking place."

      Samini said Monday night that when the doctor in question is cross-examined during the four-day trial that is set to begin July 7, he would ask whether "any part of your professional evaluation would take into consideration the conversation you had with him at the Polo Lounge."

      The attorneys in the case agreed Monday that Donald Sterling's mental competency will no longer be an issue in next week's trial to determine whether Shelly Sterling had the authority to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

      Instead, the trial will first focus on whether she followed the provisions of the family trust regarding competency -- which required two experts to submit letters in writing that he was not competent to conduct his own legal and business affairs -- and whether she has a responsibility to complete the sale after Donald Sterling revoked the trust on June 9.

      Shelly Sterling's lawyer Pierce O'Donnell appeared with Ballmer's lawyer Adam Streisand after Monday's hearing and argued that she had a responsibility to complete the sale or the trust would have a liability from Ballmer -- who could sue for breach of contract.

      The attorneys agreed to narrow the focus after Judge Michael Levanas said in court that he was not inclined to delay the July 7 hearing to accommodate a doctor who had been retained by Donald Sterling. The doctor could not be present during next week's trial because of previous professional obligations and travel plans.

      A key part of Donald Sterling's legal strategy, Samini said, will be to argue that the findings of the first doctor, Meril S. Platzer, were compromised by her social interaction with the Sterlings after the exam.

      Samini said he was present during the social interaction at the Polo Lounge, which is inside the Beverly Hills Hotel across the street from Sterling's Beverly Hills residence.

      In previously filed court documents, it was revealed that Donald Sterling submitted to CT and PET scans at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on May 16 and neurological examinations May 19 and 22. On the same day he submitted to the second neurological examination at his house, Donald Sterling sent a letter to the NBA informing it he'd consented to give his wife the authority to negotiate a sale of the team.

      Gary Ruttenberg, another attorney for Donald Sterling, argued in court Monday that the letter on May 22 was not a blanket authorization for Shelly Sterling to sell the team but simply a consent to let her negotiate with the NBA.

      Pierce O'Donnell, the lawyer for Shelly Sterling, said after the hearing that he was confident his client had followed the provisions of the trust and there were no grounds to argue she'd unduly influenced the doctor's diagnoses, as Donald Sterling had consented to allow her to negotiate the sale after both examinations had been performed.

      Comment


      • #33
        Donald Sterling seeks to move case into federal court - ESPN Los Angeles

        LOS ANGELES -- Shortly before the start of a trial to determine whether Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's estranged wife can sell the team, his lawyers filed a motion Thursday to move the case to federal court, alleging his medical privacy has been violated.

        A probate court trial is scheduled to begin Monday to determine whether Sterling is mentally incapacitated and Shelly Sterling can assume control of the family trust that owns the Clippers. She struck a deal in May to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion after Donald Sterling's racist remarks to a girlfriend were publicized and the NBA moved to oust him as an owner.

        On Thursday, Donald Sterling's attorneys filed a notice of removal to federal court, saying the airing of his medical information in the probate case violates federal privacy laws. In previous filings, they argued that Donald Sterling submitted to examinations of his mental competence under false pretenses, that there was undue influence in the doctors' findings, and that the examination and letters about his capacity were defective and incomplete.

        Shelly Sterling's attorney, Pierced O'Donnell, called the move a "cowardly ploy" and said allegations of federal privacy violations are "preposterous" because Sterling expressly authorized public release of his medical records under the terms of his family trust.

        "Donald Sterling's 11th-hour attempt to move the probate trial into the federal courts is a desperate act by a desperate man," O'Donnell said in a statement.

        Ballmer's attorney, Adam Streisand, also called the move "desperate" and said his side would seek to block it.

        "We will be filing emergency relief in federal court to undo this last desperate and frivolous attempt to block our trial from going forward Monday," Streisand said in a statement.

        Donald Sterling's attorney Bobby Samini denied the move was mere gamesmanship, saying, "We feel strongly that this important issue should be addressed by the federal court at this time."

        "While it has become popular to attack Donald Sterling for his regrettable comments, his right to privacy and to the protection of his medical records should not be acceptable collateral damage," Samini said in a statement.

        It was not immediately clear when a federal judge might rule on the issue, but the trial in state probate court remained scheduled to start Monday morning.

        Comment


        • #34
          Federal judge denies Donald Sterling's bid to move trial - ESPN Los Angeles

          LOS ANGELES -- The trial to decide the fate record-breaking $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers began Monday afternoon with the lead attorney for Shelly Sterling calling Donald Sterling as a witness and suggesting a bench warrant be issued for the owner who has been banned for life by the NBA.

          Sterling was not present in the courtroom when the trial finally began after a morning of delays while a Federal Court judge rejected a motion from his attorneys to move the case from California probate court. Sterling's attorney's promised that he would appear when court reconvened on Tuesday afternoon, explaining his absence as pragmatic as the 80-year-old owner did not expect the trial to commence Monday while the matter of jurisdiction was sorted out.

          Sterling's attorneys alleged that his federal privacy rights had been violated by the release of his medical records, and the case should be adjudicated in Federal court. In denying his motion, federal Judge George Wu wrote that "to the extent that [Sterling's] medical records are relevant to the probate hearings, the probate court is more than capable of evaluating them and rendering a decision."

          Immediately after Wu's ruling, the trial in probate court began and Shelly Sterling's lawyer, Pierce O'Donnell, called Donald Sterling as a witness, saying that his side had subpoenaed him through one of his lawyers, Max Blecher. He then suggested that a bench warrant could be issued.

          The probate court judge did not immediately rule on that request, and O'Donnell moved on to call his second witness, Dr. Meril Platzer, who one of the neurologists who examined Donald Sterling and deemed him mentally incapacitated and unable to conduct his legal and business affairs.

          Platzer testified that she ordered PET and CT scans for Sterling at Cedar's Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles before her examination of Sterling on May 16 at his Beverly Hills residence. The examination lasted for approximately two hours, she said.

          During her testimony, Donald Sterling's attorney Gary Ruttenberg repeatedly objected to her testimony as violating his client's right to privacy. He argued that since Sterling was not aware the examinations were to evaluate his mental competency and could later be used to exclude him from the family trust which owned the Clippers, the provisions of the trust in which each of the Sterling's waived their right to privacy (under federal HIPAA laws) if they were deemed incapable of handling their legal or business affairs were not applicable.

          Judge Michael Levanas overruled Ruttenberg's objections and asked if there was a way to avoid him objecting on the same grounds throughout the trial. Ruttenberg laughed and said he planned to object everytime Sterling's medical information was discussed, which he did throughout Platzer's testimony.

          Platzer was also asked by O'Donnell whether she had a social interaction with Shelly and Donald Sterling after the exam, which Donald Sterling's attorney's had alleged in previous court filings. His attorneys contend that social interaction, at the Polo Lounge inside the Beverly Hills Hotel, compromised the findings of her exam.

          Platzer testified that she and Shelly Sterling went to have dinner at the Polo Lounge, which is across the street from the Sterling's home after the exam. She said she drank about a half of a glass of wine during dinner, and that Donald Sterling, Bobby Samini (who hadn't yet been retained as his attorney) and a friend of Donald's named Lawrence later joined them, but that Shelly had "discouraged them" from sitting at their table.

          Platzer said she and Samini spoke about their personal lives, but denied she had gotten emotional at any point during dinner, as Sterling's attorney's alleged in court papers.

          She flatly denied that anything said or done during dinner impacted her evaluation of Donald Sterling, saying "absolutely not" when pressed on that issue by O'Donnell.

          The judge recessed the trial during Platzer's testimony. She will be cross-examined Tuesday by Samini.

          At some point in the afternoon, Donald Sterling is expected to be called as a witness, and he is to be questioned by Bert Fields, a legendary entertainment attorney Bert Fields.

          Comment


          • #35
            Donald Sterling defends his mental state in Los Angeles Clippers trial - ESPN Los Angeles



            LOS ANGELES -- Donald Sterling, challenging the sale of his Los Angeles Clippers, gave testy, bombastic testimony Tuesday, contending he's mentally sound, sparring with his wife's lawyer and repeatedly drawing laughter from spectators.

            "Tell me what you want to accuse me of. ... Stand up and be a man," he told attorney Bert Fields during a 90-minute afternoon appearance.

            The 80-year-old billionaire also called doctors who've declared he has Alzheimer's disease "hired guns," pleaded a faulty memory about some of his most controversial remarks and declared he could top the $2 billion offer for the Clippers by $10 billion by selling TV rights to Fox and winning an antitrust suit he's filed against the NBA.

            "What do you think, I'm doing this for ego?" he asked Fields.

            "Yes," the attorney replied.

            "Well, you're wrong, like you're wrong with all your questions," Sterling said.

            He also repeatedly told the soft-voiced Fields that he couldn't hear him, but at one point also said he was a good lawyer.

            As Sterling made continued outbursts, Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas tried futilely to take control of the situation, at one point telling him: "Go back to answering questions rather than making somewhat entertaining comments."

            After court, Fields said those who watched Sterling could easily draw their own conclusions on his competence.

            "Is this a guy you'd employ to sell hamburgers?" Fields said.

            The NBA has moved to oust Sterling from team ownership because of racist remarks he made to a girlfriend.

            His lawyers are challenging the authority of Shelly Sterling under a family trust to unilaterally cut a deal for the team with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

            In order to be able to make the deal herself, Shelly Sterling had two doctors examine her husband and they declared him mentally incapacitated and unable to act as an administrator of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers.

            Sterling angrily denied that on the witness stand.

            "When I went to the Cleveland Clinic, they told me I was razor-sharp. I have five corporations and I run them every day," he said.

            Sterling acknowledged that he had offered to allow his wife to negotiate the sale at one point, but that was when he believed she would retain an interest in the team.

            "I wanted to keep the team. I didn't want to sell it," he said.

            Despite his challenge, Sterling repeatedly defended his wife and during a break before giving testimony, he pulled her down to his chair for a kiss. She wiped away a tear.

            "I trust her today," Sterling said on the stand. "The reason we're here is because she's afraid of this big NBA that's trying to take everything away."

            At times, he sniffled and appeared to wipe away a tear.

            A neurologist hired by his wife testified Monday that she believed he has Alzheimer's disease and a psychiatrist also hired by Shelly Sterling testified Tuesday that he drew the same conclusion after examining Sterling in May.

            Dr. James Sparr said Sterling was friendly, relaxed and cooperative until a final question challenged his abilities.

            A frustrated Sterling then said, "`I have to go,' and walked out of the room," Sparr said.

            Sparr's report concluded that Sterling showed early signs of the debilitating mental condition and concluded that "he is substantially unable to manage his finances and resist fraud and malfeasance and is no longer competent to act as a trustee of his trust."

            NBA owners are scheduled to vote on the Ballmer deal on July 15. It's also the day that Ballmer's offer is set to expire -- and there is no deal without the judge's approval of the sale.

            If the sale isn't completed by Sept. 15, the league said it could seize the team and put it up for auction.

            Comment


            • #36
              Donald Sterling lashes out at wife and says he won't sell Los Angeles Clippers - ESPN Los Angeles



              LOS ANGELES -- Donald Sterling denounced his wife, her lawyers and the NBA from the witness stand Wednesday, saying he would never sell the Los Angeles Clippers and vowing a lifetime of lawsuits against the league.

              "Make no mistake today," Sterling shouted toward the end of his second day of testimony in the trial to determine his wife's right to make a $2 billion deal to sell the Clippers, "I will never, ever sell this team and until I die I will be suing the NBA for this terrible violation under antitrust."

              He was followed to the stand by wife Shelly, who tried to approach him in the front row of the courtroom after she was done for the day.

              "Get away from me, you pig!" Sterling shouted.

              The judge then admonished him to make no further comments.

              Sterling began his testimony by saying he loved his wife, but then denounced her. He said she told him to have psychiatric and neurological exams only because he had turned 80, and she was concerned for his health.

              "She deceived me. I trusted her," Sterling said. "I never thought a wife wouldn't stand for her husband."

              Donald Sterling's lawyers are challenging the authority of Shelly Sterling under the family trust to unilaterally cut a deal for the team with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

              Before she made the deal, two doctors examined Donald Sterling and declared him mentally incapacitated and unable to act as an administrator of the Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers.

              Sterling said he was certain his wife had never read the family trust because it was too complicated for her to understand.

              During examination by his own lawyer, Maxwell Blecher, Sterling was asked about his wife's position in the trust if he were to be disqualified as a trustee.

              "She has no rights whatsoever. She has no stock. She has no standing whatsoever," Sterling said.

              He also lashed out at the NBA, saying, "My wife was terrified. She's frightened to death. She thinks the NBA will take away everything she worked for. She was scared out of her mind."

              The NBA banned Donald Sterling for life and moved to force him to sell the Clippers after a recorded conversation in which he made racist statements came to light earlier this year.

              Sterling at times yelled at his own lawyer as well as the lawyer for Shelly Sterling, and threw a paper down on the witness box.

              He was followed to the stand by Shelly Sterling, who said she was a 50 percent beneficiary of the family trust.

              When asked by her attorney Pierce O'Donnell if she was "separated" from her husband of 58 years, she said "sort of." But she described herself as his principal caretaker, who takes him to medical appointments, makes sure he takes all of his pills, and is concerned for him.

              "Do you love your husband?" O'Donnell asked.

              "Yes, I do," Shelly Sterling said.

              But she then told of seeing him in an interview on CNN and becoming frightened at his personality change.

              "I couldn't believe it, and I started crying," she said. "I felt so bad. I couldn't believe that was him."

              She said she contacted a neurologist to examine him and later a psychiatrist, thinking initially that he might have had a stroke.

              She said she suggested radiological tests or imaging to examine his brain, and was told eventually that he had early signs of Alzheimer's.

              She became slightly tearful as she described her understanding of the disease, which becomes progressively worse.

              Her testimony is scheduled to resume Thursday.

              NBA owners are scheduled to vote on the Ballmer deal on July 15. It's also the day that Ballmer's offer is set to expire -- and there is no deal without the judge's approval of the sale.

              If the sale isn't completed by Sept. 15, the league said it could seize the team and put it up for auction.

              Comment


              • #37
                Judge recesses Donald Sterling-Shelly Sterling case for two weeks - ESPN Los Angeles

                LOS ANGELES -- A trial that could determine the fate of the Los Angeles Clippers was delayed Thursday until after a deadline to conclude a $2 billion sale -- and a scheduled NBA vote on the deal -- but there is hope for more time.

                Donald Sterling has vowed never to sell the team and he's trying to block his wife's single-handed deal with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Attorneys for Shelly Sterling have accused his side of stalling tactics.

                Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas put off the next hearing until July 21 because two of Sterling's lawyers had plans for a vacation and a wedding anniversary. He set closing arguments for July 28.

                That's well past the expiration of Ballmer's offer next Tuesday -- the same day that the NBA is supposed to vote on it -- and there is no deal without the judge's approval of the sale.

                Ballmer's lawyer, Adam Streisand, said outside court that there's a provision to extend the deadline another month as long as progress is being made in court.

                However, it leaves the team's future dangling.

                If the sale isn't completed by Sept. 15, the league has said it could seize the team and put it up for auction.

                Shelly Sterling testified Thursday that she took on the role of selling the Clippers because the NBA had banned her husband from the league for life for making racist remarks.

                Sterling said she believed that her husband wanted to sell in order to keep the NBA from confiscating the team.

                "Every day, he would ask me, `Who did you interview? What did they offer?' I would give him a report every day," she said.

                Ballmer's offer -- which would be a record for an NBA team -- was the highest of four offers she obtained.

                "I thought it was fabulous," she said.

                Donald Sterling told her "he was very happy and proud of me," she said.

                But what it came to signing off on the deal at the end of May, everything changed.

                "He started screaming and cursing at me," she said. "He said he's not going to sell the team. He's going to sue the league."

                Mrs. Sterling also said she feared players and sponsors would boycott if her husband held on to the team.

                Donald Sterling contends that his wife had no right under a family trust that owns the Clippers to single-handedly make the deal. Mrs. Sterling contends she had the authority.

                In earlier testimony, two doctors hired by Mrs. Sterling to examine him declared that the 80-year-old had Alzheimer's disease and was mentally incapable to act as administrator of the trust.

                In his own testimony Tuesday, he alternately declared his love for his wife of 58 years with tears and then demeaned her as a woman intimidated by the "bad NBA" and incapable of handling such a large financial transaction. Before taking the witness stand, he kissed her.

                But on Wednesday, he yelled "get away from me, you pig!" when she tried to approach him after her first day of testimony.

                Comment


                • #38
                  Donald Sterling, Steve Ballmer have 'friendly' talk over Los Angeles Clippers - ESPN Los Angeles

                  Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling met with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Monday afternoon in Los Angeles to discuss the pending $2 billion sale of the franchise, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.

                  While no settlement was reached, sources said the two men had a "friendly conversation" for about 90 minutes at Sterling's house in Beverly Hills in their first face-to-face meeting since Ballmer negotiated the record-setting sale with Shelly Sterling on May 29.

                  Donald Sterling has since challenged his wife's authority to sell the franchise in state court.

                  Last week NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he wasn't sure a new owner would be in place by the start of next season as Donald Sterling has vowed to fight his termination and the sale of the team.

                  The original agreement called for the sale to close by July 15, with a possible extension to Aug. 15. The NBA has the option of resuming termination proceedings and subsequently selling the team itself if the sale is still in limbo by Sept. 15.

                  The meeting was arranged Sunday night following a three-hour meeting earlier in the day between Donald and Shelly Sterling, sources said.

                  Donald Sterling had been preparing to file a new suit in state court on Monday morning before he and his wife spoke at length Sunday night at Donald's house.

                  He then asked to meet with Ballmer after the meeting with Shelly and a meeting with his attorney, sources said.

                  While Sterling famously called his wife "a pig" after she testified in the civil case against him two weeks ago, he was emotional when speaking about his love for her during his own testimony.

                  Shelly Sterling is due to testify again in the civil suit between the Sterlings on Tuesday. At issue in that case is whether Shelly Sterling was authorized to sell the franchise to Ballmer.

                  Her attorneys contend that she followed all of the procedures outlined in the Sterling Family Trust -- which owned the team and the other assets the couple has accumulated -- when two neurologists examined her husband and determined he was mentally incapacitated and unfit to conduct his own legal and business affairs. The two experts testified in court that Donald Sterling showed the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

                  Donald Sterling and his attorneys dispute that, arguing the exams were conducted under false pretenses because he was not informed the results could later be used to exclude him as a trustee. His lawyers also argue the doctors violated federal privacy laws by disseminating the results of his exams to attorneys in the case, and that their testimony and findings should not be admissible.

                  That argument was struck down by Judge Michael Levanas last week.

                  However, Sterling's attorney's had also planned to argue that the sale should be cancelled after he revoked the trust on June 9.

                  Shelly Sterling's attorneys argued she had a fiduciary responsibility to complete the sale even after the trust was revoked, citing the legal and financial fees the trust would incur if the team was sold by the NBA. They also cited $480 million in loans that became due, once the trust was revoked.

                  In his own testimony two weeks ago, Donald Sterling said he believed his wife only agreed to sell the Clippers because she was "terrified and frightened of this NBA" and that if he were to sell the franchise himself, he could get $2.5 billion to $5 billion because of a boom in media-rights fees.

                  He vowed to fight the NBA for as long as it took to prove his point.

                  "Do you think Microsoft is foolish? Do you think they don't think and wonder where they're going to get the money back?" Sterling said. "There's no ego involved here. There's tremendous opportunity."

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Donald Sterling sues NBA, wife Shelly Sterling, Adam Silver and LAC Basketball Club for damages - ESPN Los Angeles



                    LOS ANGELES -- Donald Sterling filed a suit in Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon seeking damages from the NBA, commissioner Adam Silver and his wife Shelly Sterling, alleging they defrauded him and violated corporate law in attempting to sell the franchise to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

                    Sterling asked for an injunction to freeze the $2 billion sale, arguing that his wife had no authority to sell the franchise because he is the sole owner and shareholder of the corporation which owns the Clippers, after he revoked the Sterling Family Trust on June 9.

                    "The new lawsuit states the seller of the team is not Donald, and it's not Shelly -- the seller of the team is the corporation that owns the team, and that's LAC Basketball Club Inc.," Donald Sterling's attorney, Bobby Samini, said Tuesday. "When Donald bought the team, the shares of the corporation are only in Donald's name. They were only issued to Donald, so Donald owns the shares of the corporation. He's the sole shareholder. He put the shares up into the trust in 1989, and when we revoked the trust, the shares go back down to him."

                    The NBA said it had no comment on Sterling's latest lawsuit.

                    Shelly Sterling's attorney, Pierce O'Donnell, called the latest lawsuit "a frivolous, last-ditch act of desperation by a delusional, bitter man" who is "obsessed with ruining a record-setting $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers -- a sale that would solve the problems his racist rant started three months ago."

                    The new lawsuit comes as testimony in a trial in California probate court continued Tuesday to determine whether Shelly Sterling acted properly in selling the team to Ballmer.

                    Donald Sterling was removed as a trustee from the trust when two neurologists examined him and determined he was mentally incapacitated and unfit to conduct his legal and business affairs. He has since objected to the sale. Donald Sterling has also filed a federal lawsuit against the NBA seeking $1 billion in damages.

                    It is not known whether the judge in probate court will seek to consolidate this lawsuit with the current trial.

                    "I think you're looking at some time into the future," Samini said when asked when Tuesday's lawsuit could be resolved. "Could you get to trial in six to eight months? In a perfect world, it's possible, but you're looking at a year or so before you have a trial on that issue. ... We're not working on deadlines."

                    It is not known whether the probate-court judge will seek to consolidate Tuesday's lawsuit with the current trial.

                    "He's worth more than $2.5 billion without the team," Samini said. "If he was greedy, he would take the money and run. It's not about the money. It's not even about wanting the team. It's showing everybody: If I have a conversation in my living room that's inappropriate, that's not a good thing. I shouldn't be awarded the man of the year award, but at the same time, my private conversation, and on top of that my medical records, shouldn't be OK to release that to the world and use that to hang me with."

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Los Angeles Clippers CEO says Doc Rivers desires exit if Donald Sterling stays - ESPN Los Angeles

                      Bye bye Clippers. Doc will leave. Then CP3 and Blake will demand a trade or have the Player's Assoication veto their contract. Sterling will lose out big time in the end no matter what.

                      LOS ANGELES -- The interim CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers testified in state court Tuesday afternoon that coach and team president Doc Rivers has told him on multiple occasions that he doesn't think he wants to continue as coach if Donald Sterling remains owner of the team.

                      Dick Parsons said he has talked to Rivers, several players and key sponsors who are troubled by Sterling's continued ownership of the franchise, which is being adjudicated in a California probate court.

                      At issue is whether Shelly Sterling acted properly in selling the franchise, without her husband's expressed consent, for a record $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Parsons was called as a witness in the trial Tuesday to discuss the impact the continuing uncertainty over the ownership situation has had on the Clippers franchise.

                      "If Doc were to leave, that would be a disaster," Parsons said. "Doc is the father figure of the team. Chris [Paul] is the on-court captain of the team. But Doc is really the guy who leads the effort. He's the coach, the grown-up, he's a man of character and ability -- not just in a basketball sense, but in the ability to connect with people and gain their trust. The team believes in him and admires and loves him. If he were to bail, with all the other circumstances, it would accelerate the death spiral."

                      Sterling's lawyers objected to Parsons' testimony on Rivers, arguing that only Rivers should be allowed to speak on his state of mind in this matter, and if that were the case, Rivers should be called as a witness. While Judge Michael Levanas agreed with the notion, he allowed Parsons to express his opinion on the matter and noted he would not consider it as fact.

                      "I don't understand why they didn't call Doc Rivers and the players they want to call to give that testimony," Sterling's lawyer, Bobby Samini, said. "I understand Mr. Parsons had an opinion about what might happen, but they could've easily brought those individuals in to give that testimony themselves."

                      Samini also cast doubt on some of Parsons' more dire predictions about the Clippers financial stability, should Sterling remain owner.

                      "I understand -- I'm just not seeing the sinkhole out here swallowing us all up," he said. "But that was the testimony Mr. Parsons gave."

                      Parsons said that though ticket revenue was essentially the same as the past season's, many of the team's 20 or so sponsors have said have made it clear they only want to continue a relationship with the team if Sterling is replaced as owner. He cited Mandalay Bay and Kia Motors as examples of sponsors who are "sitting at the edge of the pool and don't want to go in the water unless there is resolution" on the ownership situation.

                      Parsons said during cross-examination that only six or seven sponsors had explicitly asked to be disassociated from the Clippers following the scandal that enveloped the team after Sterling's racially insensitive comments were published April 25 by TMZ.com. The team gave the remaining two-thirds "a holiday" before they felt compelled to disassociate from the franchise.

                      "If none of your sponsors want to sponsor you, your coach doesn't want to coach you and players don't want to play for you, what do you have?" Parsons said.

                      Parsons and Bank of America expert Anwar Zakkour testified that the $2 billion price Ballmer agreed to pay for the franchise was much higher than the team's revenues justified under the most aggressive and optimistic predictions.

                      "Whether you want to call it a slam dunk or a home run, none of us believed we would get to the $2 billion," said Zakkour, who helped conduct the hurried sale. "None of us even believed we'd get to the $1.8 billion number, so that says it now."

                      Zakkour warned that if the sale fell through and the NBA restarted termination proceedings, there was significant risk the franchise would sell for far less.

                      "There are two things in my profession that are bad when you sell a franchise: Uncertainty and transparency," Zakkour said. "I think there's been a lot of press speculation that he paid a very full price for the Clippers. The highest price ever achieved for a sports team, when you focus on just the sports team."

                      Zakkour mentioned that the Los Angeles Dodgers sold for $2.15 billion, but that deal included $300-400 million in real estate.

                      Dean Bonham, a sports marketing expert called by Donald Sterling's lawyers, testified the sale price could increase if bidding were re-opened.

                      After court adjourned on Tuesday, Donald Sterling filed another lawsuit in Superior Court against the NBA, commissioner Adam Silver and Shelly Sterling.

                      "The NBA can have their vote anytime they want if they think they can remove him as the owner," Samini said. "Donald Sterling came and said many times 'I want the NBA to do it.' I think that's what he's waiting for. He's going to see if they're going to actually go through with that."

                      The probate court trial will resume on Wednesday afternoon. Closing arguments are scheduled for next Monday. None of the attorney's would comment on what transpired during a meeting with Ballmer and Donald Sterling on Monday afternoon, except to confirm that the meeting took place.

                      Asked about a possible settlement, Samini said, "Anything could happen, but I don't see it in the tea leaves right now."

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Judge rules against Donald Sterling in attempt to block sale of Los Angeles Clippers - ESPN Los Angeles

                        Its finally over?

                        LOS ANGELES -- A judge ruled against Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling on Monday in his attempt to block the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

                        Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas sided with Sterling's estranged wife Shelly Sterling, who burst into tears when the ruling was announced.

                        "This is going to be a good thing for the city, for the league for my family and for all of us," she said outside the courthouse. "Come see the Clippers next year."

                        The judge said Shelly Sterling had negotiated a good deal for the Clippers and had the authority to remove her husband as a trustee of the trust that owns the team after two doctors determined he had signs of Alzheimer's disease and was incapable of making business decisions.

                        Also under the ruling, Donald Sterling can't delay the sale from going forward as he appeals the case.

                        "It was the best thing and the court system came through with whatever they thought was equitable and fair," Shelly Sterling said. "I didn't know which way it would go, I just tried to do the best thing for our family and for everybody else."

                        The ruling on Monday was tentative until the judge files it in writing.

                        Shelly Sterling's attorneys and Ballmer's attorney said they expect the sale of the team to close before Aug. 15. The judge's final decision is expected to come down by Aug. 13.

                        Donald Sterling was not in court to hear the ruling. Bobby Samini, the attorney for Donald Sterling, said he spoke to his client ten minutes after the decision was announced.

                        "He didn't take it too hard," Samini said. "He just said, 'Keep fighting,' " an apparent reference to pending lawsuits Sterling has filed.

                        When asked if she thought her husband would drop his other lawsuits Shelly Sterling said, "I'm sure he will."

                        Shelly Sterling negotiated the sale of the team after the 80-year-old billionaire was banned by the NBA for making offensive remarks about blacks.

                        Donald Sterling claimed his wife had deceived him about the medical exams.

                        He later revoked the trust after she negotiated the record-setting sales price and his lawyers argued that his move killed the deal. They said the case didn't belong in probate court because the trust had been dissolved.

                        Lawyer Pierce O'Donnell, who represents Shelly Sterling, called the ruling a "a great day for the family trust, the NBA and the entire NBA family."

                        NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement the league was pleased by the ruling and looked forward to the transaction closing as soon as possible.

                        With appeals possible and other cases pending, the ruling in Los Angeles County Superior Court is unlikely to put an end to the bizarre saga that began in April when a recording surfaced of Sterling scolding his young girlfriend for bringing black men to Clippers games. The NBA moved quickly to ban Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million.

                        Sterling was apologetic after the audio recording went viral, but his mea culpa backfired when he criticized Lakers great Magic Johnson, who had been photographed with Sterling's girlfriend, as a bad role model for kids because he had HIV. Sterling was roundly criticized from locker rooms to the Oval Office, where President Barack Obama called Sterling's remarks "incredibly offensive racist statements."

                        With the NBA threatening to seize the team and auction it, Sterling initially gave his wife of 58 years permission to negotiate a sale but then refused to sign it. He said he would sue the league instead and then revoked the trust.

                        The nonjury trial held over several weeks focused mainly on whether Shelly Sterling properly removed her husband as a trustee and whether her actions carried any weight after he revoked the trust.

                        Donald Sterling's lawyers contended that his wife and her lawyers conspired to trick him and that the mental exams by two doctors were faulty. They said Sterling didn't know his competency as a trustee was being evaluated and that he showed no signs of incompetence on the witness stand.

                        In combative testimony, Sterling said he would "never, ever sell" the team he bought in 1981 for about $12 million. He vowed to fight the NBA in court until the day he dies.

                        Before taking the stand, he kissed his wife and then testified that he loved her. But the following day when she approached him in court he yelled, "get away from me, you pig!"

                        "It was tough," Shelly Sterling said of the trial. "We do have love for each other. I hope it will all work out between us and it will. Everything will be good. It was very tough. All I want to do now is get some sleep. I haven't slept in weeks."

                        Donald Sterling, a lawyer who made a fortune as a landlord, has filed an antitrust lawsuit in federal court against the NBA and he sued his wife, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league in state court.

                        Lawyers for Shelly Sterling and Ballmer had urged the judge to let the sale go through because it was in the best interest of the family trust. They said an auction was less likely to bring such a high price and that coach Doc Rivers, key players and sponsors were likely to walk if Donald Sterling's ownership was prolonged.

                        "The trust has a golden bird in the hand," Shelly Sterling's lawyers wrote in court papers. "A sale of the Clippers for $2 billion is indisputably a bonanza for the Sterling family. Donald's strident opposition is motivated by only selfish considerations."

                        Donald Sterling said he could get more for the team by also selling TV rights and through his $9 billion suit against the league.

                        Though Donald Sterling is banned for life from the league, Shelly Sterling said she's confident that it will one day be lifted and he will be able to attend games with her.

                        "Oh, absolutely, he'll be able to," Sterling said. "I think the ban will be lifted. There's a new owner and a new sheriff in town and it's going to be good. It's going to be good for the city, for the fans, for the league, for everybody and that's all we want."

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Donald Sterling appeal to block Los Angeles Clippers sale denied - ESPN Los Angeles

                          LOL!

                          LOS ANGELES -- The California appellate court late Friday denied a request from deposed Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to block the sale of the team.

                          Sterling had asked the court earlier Friday to block the $2 billion sale of the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

                          Lawyers for Sterling said the judge prematurely finalized his ruling so the sale can be completed without a chance to appeal.

                          Sterling's appellate lawyers said in their request for a writ of mandate that if the sale goes through, "Donald will have lost a unique and irretrievable asset: a 'trophy asset' coveted by high net worth individuals around the world -- one of thirty NBA franchises in the country, and one that under Donald's thirty-year ownership has recently become one of the most successful."

                          Ballmer's lawyer quickly denounced the move as part of Sterling's "egotistical crusade to destroy the Clippers if he can't keep the team, and he can't."

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Steve Ballmer officially new owner of Los Angeles Clippers - ESPN Los Angeles

                            The Los Angeles Clippers officially have a new owner.

                            Steve Ballmer's bid to purchase the Clippers closed Tuesday after the entry of an order by a California court confirmed the authority of Shelly Sterling to sell the team on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust, the league announced.

                            Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO, bid $2 billion for the Clippers in May but wasn't able to complete the sale until Tuesday's written court order affirmed Shelly Sterling's authority to sell the franchise without the consent of her husband, Donald Sterling.

                            "It's very, very exciting. I'm a basketball nut," Ballmer said in an interview with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "I've got time. I love Los Angeles. I love Seattle, too, which is where we have our home. But the notion of spending a lot of time in Los Angeles has been exciting to me for years. The community down there is great. I look forward to supporting the community, the fan base, the staff, Doc [Rivers] and the players to take this thing to higher heights."

                            Ballmer acknowledged there were some frustrating moments while the sale of the franchise was delayed by court proceedings but said he remained confident he'd be able to complete it.

                            "My job has been to complete the deal and there were a lot of people, including me, working on it for a long time," Ballmer said. "Was I kind of itchy? Sure. But I knew the only thing I could do or should do was complete the final deal, and we were able to do that this morning."

                            The NBA's board of governors interviewed Ballmer on July 15, then took a vote electronically last week in which he was unanimously approved as an owner, sources told Shelburne.

                            Ballmer decided he would complete the sale as soon as Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas' written order came in, which occurred at 11:30 a.m. ET Tuesday.

                            "We were ready," Adam Streisand, Ballmer's attorney, said. "Within minutes, the deal was signed, sealed and delivered."

                            Ballmer plans to travel to Los Angeles later this week and have dinner with the team, then meet with Clippers employees and fans at an event Monday.

                            Ballmer's takeover of the Clippers follows weeks of legal tussling between Shelly and Donald Sterling, the 80-year-old billionaire whom the NBA banned earlier this year for making offensive remarks about blacks. Donald Sterling's attorneys are still expected to appeal the sale, sources told Shelburne.

                            Donald Sterling filed a writ of mandate Tuesday in response to the court's written order. However, sources also told Shelburne that attorneys for Donald Sterling and Shelly Sterling recently have been discussing a settlement.

                            The NBA, meanwhile, has filed a counterclaim in federal court against Donald Sterling and the Sterling Family Trust, saying he caused "devastating and incalculable harm" to the league. The counterclaim was in response to an antitrust lawsuit Sterling filed in June against the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver seeking $1 billion in damages.

                            Ballmer was one of at least six bidders to express serious interest in owning the Clippers, who were bought in 1981 by Sterling for $12.5 million. The three highest bids were $1.2 billion from a group including former NBA player Grant Hill and Los Angeles businessmen Bruce Karsh and Tony Ressler; $1.6 billion from a group fronted by music mogul David Geffen; and $2 billion from Ballmer.

                            Shelly Sterling signed an agreement to sell the team to Ballmer on May 29, then was forced to secure a court order to confirm her authority as sole trustee to go ahead with the sale.

                            "I am thrilled that the Clippers now have such a wonderful new owner," said Shelly Sterling, who as part of the deal was given the title of "Clippers Number One Fan" and "owner emeritus." "I am happy for the team, the fans, the sponsors and the city of Los Angeles."

                            Drafts of the Clippers' sale bid book, given to bidders by Bank of America and obtained by ESPN.com, revealed that the $2 billion price would be 12.1 times the expected 2014 revenues of the team. The bid book noted that the highest previous sale was the record that Ballmer beat, that of the Milwaukee Bucks, who sold for $550 million this year and a then-record five times total revenue.

                            Ballmer defended the amount of his bid in the interview with Shelburne.

                            "Lots of people run lots of numbers," he said. "I feel like I paid a price I'm excited about. It obviously was a price that was negotiated, and I feel very good about it. It's not a cheap price, but when you're used to looking at tech companies with huge risk, no earnings and huge multiples, this doesn't look like the craziest thing I've ever acquired. It's my own personal money, and you're just as careful with your own money as you are with your shareholders' money.

                            "There's real earnings in this business. There's real upside opportunity. So compared to the things I looked at in tech, this was a reasonable purchase and it's one I'm really excited about. Plus, I'm really excited about the product. I love it. I've been to over a hundred basketball games in the last year, and that's just high school games."

                            Ballmer previously had been involved in a failed bid to buy the Sacramento Kings and relocate them to Seattle. On Tuesday, he put to rest any thoughts of relocating the Clippers, saying: "There's a hundred reasons [not to move them]. ... I'm all-in on the Los Angeles Clippers."

                            "The Clippers are more valuable in Los Angeles," Ballmer told ESPN. "It's a phenomenal city, a phenomenal market, phenomenal everything. I like Los Angeles and there's an opportunity to spend some time there in addition to Seattle. That is phenomenal.

                            "The NBA has made it clear they want fan bases to be able to keep their teams. I know that firsthand, because we did take a whirl at moving Sacramento and that didn't work. I'm all in on the Los Angeles Clippers. We're moving forward. We've got to work to be the best we can be to take advantage of all the assets in the community."

                            The official sale of the team to Ballmer caps a tumultuous few months for the organization, starting when Donald Sterling's racist comments to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, were publicized by TMZ in April.

                            Last month, Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul said it would be "unacceptable" if Donald Sterling still owned the team when the 2014-15 season began. Rivers, meanwhile, had said he wouldn't want to continue as the Clippers' coach if Sterling remained in that position.

                            Rivers called Tuesday "an amazing new day in Clippers history."

                            "I couldn't be more excited to work together with Steve as we continue to build a first-class, championship organization," he said in a statement released by the team. "I am already inspired by Steve's passion for the game, his love of competition and desire to win the right way, and I know our players and fans are going to be inspired as well."

                            Paul and several other players concurred.

                            "I am very excited about Mr. Ballmer's purchase of the Clippers," Paul said. "I've had a chance to meet him, and his excitement for the game of basketball and our team is going to be great for the league, the city of Los Angeles and Clipper fans everywhere."

                            Added All-Star forward Blake Griffin: "Today is a great day for the Clipper organization and fans everywhere. I look forward to having Mr. Ballmer as an owner and continuing our pursuit of a championship."

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Donald Sterling's appeal of sale of Los Angeles Clippers denied - ESPN Los Angeles



                              Donald Sterling lost what would appear to be his final move to block the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers.

                              Sterling's appeal of Tuesday's decision that closed the sale of the Clippers was denied Wednesday.

                              The appeal, a writ of supersedeas and request for an immediate stay, was Sterling's last-ditch maneuver to block the sale of the franchise to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

                              "The evidence before this court indicates the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to Steven Ballmer has closed," the Court of Appeal said in its ruling. "Thus, there is nothing for this court to stay."

                              In addition, the court ruled that Donald Sterling "has failed to show that the balancing of the relative harms favors granting a temporary stay or supersedeas."

                              "We who represent Donald Sterling are deeply disappointed that he has been deprived from ownership of the Clippers after 33 years without being accorded appellate review of this harsh result," Max Blecher and Bobby Samini, attorneys for Donald Sterling, issued a statement Wednesday night. "Nevertheless, we are confident Donald will be completely vindicated in his federal case against the NBA. More importantly, we believe that the "popular" ruling in the Probate matter is a serious blow to the Privacy rights for all Americans."

                              Ballmer is now the Clippers' primary owner after bidding a record $2 billion to purchase the franchise.

                              Ballmer's lawyer, Adam Streisand, issued a statement on Wednesday in light of Sterling's appeal denial.

                              "While we have no doubt Donald Sterling will appeal to the Supreme Court, we are beyond thrilled and gratified and supremely confident that this is now over and done and Steve Ballmer is the undisputed owner of the Los Angeles Clippers," Streisand said.

                              The lawyer for Shelly Sterling, Donald's wife and the person approved to sell the franchise, also issued a statement on Wednesday.

                              "Shelly is thrilled that her decision to sell the Clippers to Steve Ballmer has been upheld by the Court of Appeal," said Pierce O'Donnell, lead counsel for Shelly Sterling. "It is time for Donald to accept that the game is over and he has run out of courts. For the Clippers, it is a new era under a new owner whose commitment to excellence and passion will take the team to an NBA championship."

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X