Court Blocks Donald Sterling's Move to Get Clippers Back

A state appeals court today unanimously rejected former Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s attempt to reverse last year’s sale of the NBA franchise.

The three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas did not commit legal errors when he approved the team’s sale last year to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion in July 2014.

In the 18-page opinion written by Justice Madeleine Flier, the appeals court found that Sterling’s claims that he revoked the family trust before the sale was of no importance.

“Assuming Donald effectively revoked the trust on June 9, 2014, Donald fails to demonstrate such revocation precluded the probate court from authorizing the trustee to sell the Clippers in accordance with the terms of an agreement established prior to Donald’s revocation” Flier wrote.

Flier also noted that Sterling’s wife, Shelly Sterling, acted in the best interests of the trust’s beneficiaries when she sold the team for an amount higher than she and her advisers thought was possible.

“The amount caused Donald to congratulate (Shelly,)“ Flier wrote.

The Ballmer purchase came in the wake of a threat by the NBA to take control of the team after banning the billionaire for life for racist remarks that were secretly recorded by a female former confidante.

Donald Sterling filed for divorce from Shelly Sterling in August.

City News Service; Wikimedia Commons