Sterling will take the NBA to court over its efforts to wrest control of the L.A. Clippers away from him.
Donald Sterling at an NBA game on Jan. 10.
Kirby Lee / Reuters
Embattled L.A. Clippers co-owner Donald Sterling has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the NBA. In an email, his attorney Max Blecher told BuzzFeed the suit was filed Friday.
Blecher described the lawsuit as an antitrust case "in part." Blecher also confirmed that if Sterling were to win an antitrust case, his payout could actually end up in the neighborhood of $3 billion.
The lawsuit comes a day after Sterling's estranged wife and Clippers co-owner Shelly Sterling inked a deal to sell the team for $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
It was unclear if Donald Sterling would have to sign off on the sale. Blecher said Thursday that Donald's approval was needed, but in a news release Shelly's lawyer described her as the "sole trustee." A source close to the family reiterated that characterization Friday to BuzzFeed, saying Shelly did indeed have the authority to sell the team on her own.
The Associated Press reported Friday that Donald was stripped of his ability to act as a trustee for the team when he was diagnosed with dementia. Other media have described Donald as having Alzheimer's, but when asked about a potential diagnosis Blecher expressed skepticism and suggested asking Shelly.
Friday afternoon, the NBA canceled a meeting of its Board of Governors at which it planned to vote on terminating the Sterlings' ownership of the team. In a news release, the NBA described its dispute with the Sterlings as "resolved" and said the team will in fact be sold to Ballmer.
The NBA, Shelly Sterling and the Sterling Family Trust today resolved their dispute over the ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers. Under the agreement, the Clippers will be sold to Steve Ballmer, pending approval by the NBA Board of Governors, and the NBA will withdraw its pending charge to terminate the Sterlings' ownership of the team.
Because of the binding agreement to sell the team, the NBA termination hearing that had been scheduled for June 3 in New York City has now been cancelled. Mrs. Sterling and the Trust also agreed not to sue the NBA and to indemnify the NBA against lawsuits from others, including from Donald Sterling.