Donald Sterling diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, no-shows first day of trial on Clippers sale

LOS ANGELES – Donald Sterling, who was a no-show in court for the first day of his trial, has been suffering from Alzheimer’s for at least three years, a witness told a judge on Monday.

The proceedings are to determine if Sterling’s estranged wife Shelly has authority to sell the team, under pressure from the NBA, following racist remarks by Sterling that caused an uproar in America.

Neurologist Dr. Meril Platzer testified that she came to that conclusion after having the disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner undergo a battery of tests, including a CT (computerized tomography) scan and a PET (positron emission tomography) scan. She also said she went to his home to perform cognitive testing.

Asked how long Donald Sterling had been suffering from “dementia or Alzheimer’s”, disease Platzer said, “at least for three years, most likely for five years.”

Platzer told US judge Michael Levanas that following two hours of testing, she told Donald Sterling that he had Alzheimer’s and his reaction was, “I’m hungry. I want to eat.”

But Platzer said Donald Sterling’s wife, Shelly Sterling, was shocked by the news.

“She was taken aback, shocked. She felt bad for her husband,” said Platzer, who testified she is an expert in the field of neurology, having examined over 25,000 patients over the course of her career.

The probate court trial is to decide whether Shelly Sterling has legal authority under the family trust to sell the National Basketball Association team for a record $2 billion to former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer.

Donald Sterling is seeking to halt the sale being conducted by his estranged wife, arguing that his privacy rights were violated by the release of his medical records.

After several delays in the morning session, testimony in the non-jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court finally got under way. But before that could happen a US federal court judge had to deny Donald Sterling’s bid to move his legal fight with his wife over the sale of the Clippers to a federal court. The decision paved the way for the scheduled four-day trial to proceed.

US federal court judge George Wu denied the motion to move the case to federal court, saying 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.”

Donald Sterling called as witness

Pierce O’Donnell, lawyer for Shelly Sterling, then called Donald Sterling as the first witness. O’Donnell explained he had subpoenaed Sterling and when told he wouldn’t be available, O’Donnell suggested a bench warrant could be issued.

O’Donnell called his second witness, Platzer, one of two doctors hired by Shelly Sterling who examined Donald Sterling and found him to be mentally incapacitated.

Bobby Samini, the lawyer for Donald Sterling, said his client was not in the courtroom because they thought it would take more time to get a decision from the federal court. His legal team said Donald Sterling would be in court to testify on Tuesday.

Sterling’s other lawyer, Gary Ruttenberg, said that Shelly Sterling had duped his client and that the NBA is complicit in her actions.

“The NBA wants to get rid of my client,” Ruttenberg said. “They were colluding with Mrs. Sterling and her counsel to do this.”

Sterling’s lawyers did not cross-examine Platzer on Monday.

But O’Donnell said no fraud occurred and that Donald Sterling changed his mind after originally agreeing to the sale of the team.

“He will pull out all the stops to prevent the sale from going forward,” O’Donnell said.

Sterling was banned from the NBA for life earlier this year following the public release of recorded conversations between him and his girlfriend V. Stiviano. Sterling is heard on the tape making bigoted comments, criticizing Stiviano for having her picture taken with black people and telling her not to bring blacks to Clipper games.

The league announced plans to take action against Sterling to force him to sell the team. But Sterling has since filed a lawsuit against the NBA, alleging violations of his civil rights.

He has contended that he was recorded illegally while making emotional remarks during a disagreement with Stiviano.

source: interaksyon.com

Banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling apologizes for racist remarks

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has offered his first public apology for racist remarks that saw him banned for life from the NBA.

Two weeks after the NBA banned him from all league activities, fined him $2.5 million and began proceedings to strip him of his team, the 80-year-old real estate billionaire insisted he’s not a racist.

“I’m not a racist,” Sterling told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in an interview due to air Monday. “I made a terrible mistake. I’m here to apologize.”

The interview, excerpts of which were posted on CNN’s website, marks Sterling’s first public comments on the scandal since celebrity gossip website TMZ posted a 10-minute audio recording of him that sparked a firestorm in the league and beyond.

In the recording, Sterling is heard chastising his girlfriend for associating with black people and bringing black people to Clippers games.

The response was swift and fierce in the NBA, a league in which the majority of players are black.

The affair resonated outside of sports in a country that continues to grapple with racial issues.

Almost 20 sponsors severed or suspended ties with the team, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was widely applauded for his tough stance.

On Friday, the NBA named Richard Parsons, the former chairman of media giant Time Warner and Citigroup, as interim chief executive of the Clippers as the league pursues efforts to oust Sterling.

Such a move would require the approval of 75 percent of the other 29 team owners.

Although it’s thought the Clippers would sell for upwards of $600 million, Sterling’s past history of litigation has prompted speculation that he would resist selling in what could be a bitter legal battle.

In his interview with CNN, Sterling did not take a combative stance, but the longest-tenured owner in the NBA — he bought the Clippers for $12 million in 1981 — made it clear he wants to stay in the league.

“I’m a good member who made a mistake and I’m apologizing and I’m asking for forgiveness,” Sterling said.

“Am I entitled to one mistake, am I after 35 years? I mean, I love my league, I love my partners. Am I entitled to one mistake? It’s a terrible mistake, and I’ll never do it again.”

However, the scandal has prompted scrutiny of past accusations that Sterling discriminated against black, Hispanic and Korean tenants at some of his rental properties.

Sterling’s estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, was a co-defendant in two lawsuits that alleged discrimination, and the future of the Clippers is further clouded by her stated determination to maintain her ownership stake in the team.

In an interview with ABC News’ Barbara Walters airing on Sunday night, Shelly Sterling says she will “absolutely” fight to keep her stake in the team.

However, NBA spokesman Mike Bass responded with a statement outlining the league’s position that her ownership interest would be terminated along with her husband’s.

“Under the NBA Constitution, if a controlling owner’s interest is terminated by a 3/4 vote, all other team owners’ interests are automatically terminated as well,” Bass said.

“It doesn’t matter whether the owners are related as is the case here.

“These are the rules to which all NBA owners agreed to as a condition of owning their team.”

Clippers coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers is just one NBA figure who has said it would be better if neither of the Sterlings have an ownership role with the team.

Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, attending the Clippers’ home playoff game against Oklahoma City, said players wouldn’t play for Shelly Sterling.

“The players definitely wouldn’t like it, everybody would boycott,” Johnson told an ABC television interviewer.

source: interaksyon.com