Donald Sterling changes mind again, will sue NBA
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Just when you thought the Donald Sterling saga was winding down, there's another twist. In a new letter, the Los Angeles Clippers owner now says he'll fight the deal to sell the team.
"I have decided that I must fight to protect my rights," Sterling said in the letter, which was obtained by ESPN. "While my position may not be popular, I believe that my rights to privacy and the preservation of my rights to due process should not be trampled."
Sterling says he will go forward with a $1 billion federal lawsuit against the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver. He is also withdrawing his support of the proposed $2 billion Clippers sale, which his wife Shelly negotiated.
Sterling's attorney Max Blecher suggested that Sterling would be challenging his wife's actions and negotiation of the sale in probate court Tuesday, according to ESPN.
A source close to the negotiations tells Eyewitness News that Shelly Sterling's attorneys are going to probate court Wednesday morning to seek an emergency order for an expedited hearing. The hearing will seek an order from the court verifying that she is the sole trustee of the trust.
Donald Sterling's reversal comes days after he publicly supported the sale of the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Sterling's lawsuit alleges that the league violated his constitutional rights by relying on information from an "illegal" recording that publicized racist remarks he made to V. Stiviano. The lawsuit says the league committed a breach of contract by fining Sterling $2.5 million for those remarks and that it violated antitrust laws by forcing a sale.
"From the onset, I did not want to sell the Los Angeles Clippers," Sterling said in the letter. "I believe that Adam Silver acted in haste by illegally ordering the forced sale of the Clippers, banning me for life from the NBA and imposing the fine. Adam Silver's conduct in doing so without conducting any real investigation was wrong."
ESPN contributed to this report.
