Sterling loses his court case to block Clippers sale

Not surprising:


Donald Sterling just LOST his bid to block the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers.

A judge just gave his tentative ruling -- that Shelly Sterling was authorized to cut the $2 billion deal with ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for the sale of the team.

The judge said, "Shelly clearly had the authority to transfer the shares of [the Clippers].

Donald had argued he should never have been stripped of control of the team ... authority she got after 2 doctors determined Donald was mentally incompetent to handle the business affairs of the team.

But the judge begged to differ, concluding the MEDICAL examinations were valid and proper.

The judge also pooh-poohed Donald's testimony.

Although the ruling was tentative, it's almost certain it will become final.

TMZ broke the story ... Donald met with Ballmer last week as it became clear he was going to lose his court case.  If Donald had some leverage, it's pretty much now lost.


Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz38nvPa2qA


I feel sorry for the guy - now he's FORCED to accept $2 billion for the team. And might have to give half to his wife. Too bad for him.

Yes, but, he has to "share" tha t with his trust. Poor guy!

gyso wrote:He will probably pay more in taxes on this sale than I will make in a lifetime, poor guy.

When he pays $600-$700 million in taxes, not knowing your personal finances, I'd say you're "probably" right.

As video gamers say, "good game, no rematch."



KJ

As I expected, the law outweighed (or perhaps circumvented) conjecture on privacy issues.  The pure and simple fact is that  (1) the NBA wanted the Sterlings to sell the Clippers and (2) it appears that the Sterlings will sell the clippers.  Court cases can hang (no pun intended) on many factors that may not be recognized by the set of priorities considered most relevant by the public.

Sam

Oh well, my record for predicting the outcome of any event is now 0-for infinity+1. But I managed to start a convivial debate and chat that was somewhat related to the Celtics! I'm guessing there's no chance for overtime via appeal?

db

Db,

It seems a foregone conclusion that Donald Sterling would lose a direct appeal.  However, he apparently can sue for some form of damages, and it's very possible your very interesting slants will carry heavier weight in that type of case.

Sam

Donald Sterling's options to prevent the sale to Ballmer are extremely limited, if not nil. The probate court decision yesterday includes this (emphasis mine):

The ruling included the extraordinary step of granting of Shelly Sterling’s request for an order under section 1310(b) of California’s probate code that allows the sale to be completed regardless of an appellate court’s intervention.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-sterling-donald-shelly-clippers-judge-ruling-20140728-story.html

I still expect Donald Sterling to pursue legal action, even after the team is sold, and it ain't over until the deal is actually done. It's hard to fathom how he can sue for damages when Ballmer is paying half a billion dollars over market value for the team, but that won't stop Sterling. He'll take legal action to get what he wants, and if that doesn't work, he'll take legal action to enact punishment on anyone involved.