Accusations of racism and discrimination
In November 2005, ESPN reported that Donald Sterling agreed to pay a fine of $2.73 million to settle claims brought by the Justice Department and Davin Day of Newport Beach that he engaged in disciminatory rental practices against Hispanics, blacks, and families with children. [4]. In addition, Sterling was also ordered to pay attorneys' fees and costs in that action of $4,923,554.75. [Order Granting Motion for Prevailing Party's Attorneys' Fees and Costs, dated November 2, 2005, C.D. Cal. Case No. 2:03-cv-00859-DSF-E Dkt No. 454]. In granting the attorney's fees and costs Judge Dale S. Fischer noted "Sterling's' scorched earth' litigation tactics, some of which are described by the Plaintiffs' counsel and some of which were observed by the Court. The Court has no difficulty accepting Plaintiffs' counsel's representations that the time required to be spent on this case was increased by defendant's counsel's often unacceptable, and sometimes outrageous conduct." [Id. at p. 5]
In February 2009, Sterling was sued by former longtime Clippers executive Elgin Baylor for employment discrimination on the basis of age and race.[5] The lawsuit alleges Sterling told Baylor that he wanted to fill his team with "poor black boys from the South and a white head coach".[6] The suit alleges that during negotiations for Danny Manning, Sterling said "I'm offering a lot of money for a poor black kid."[6][7] The suit noted those comments while alleging "the Caucasian head coach was given a four-year, $22-million contract", but Baylor's salary had "been frozen at a comparatively paltry $350,000 since 2003".[5]
On August 8, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination in using race as a factor in filling some of his apartment buildings. The government's ongoing case alleges Sterling refused to rent to non-Koreans in the Koreatown neighborhood and to African Americans in Beverly Hills.[6] The suit alleges Sterling once said he did not like to rent to Hispanics because they "smoke, drink and just hang around the building," and that "Black tenants smell and attract vermin."[6]
Sterling Towers
Further information: Louis Lesser
Sterling purchased Lesser Towers, developed by Louis Lesser in the 1960s, according to the Los Angeles Times.[8] Sterling changed the name to Sterling Towers, and began to run regular ads in the Los Angeles Times highlighting that Sterling Towers was developed by Donald Sterling, not Louis Lesser.[9]
Skid Row homeless assistance pledge
Despite a June 26, 2006 Los Angeles Times article,[1
detailing the Donald T. Sterling Charitable Foundation's pledge to spend $50 million on a site on the eastern end of Downtown Los Angeles to provide services for Los Angeles' homeless population, nothing has been built. According to an LA Weekly article[11] from February 19, 2008, critics were skeptical that the homeless center would ever be built, and surmised that Sterling bought the property purely for its real-estate value. A follow up article from the LA Weekly[12] states that the foundation has yet to even start attempting to deliver on its promises but continues to run full-page ads trumpeting its pledge in the LA Times.
Heckling Clippers players
In December 2010, it was revealed that Sterling had been heckling his own players from his courtside seats, specifically focusing on point guard Baron Davis.[13] His verbal barbs at the time included, "Why are you in the game?", "Why did you take that shot?", and "You're out of shape!".[14]