Donald Sterling is suing TMZ over the V. Stiviano audio leak.
The former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has filed a lawsuit against TMZ and V. Stiviano over the leak of a phone conversation last year, in which Sterling could be heard saying racist comments.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in Los Angeles, California. The lawsuit claims Stiviano, Sterling’s former girlfriend, “surreptitiously” recorded a phone call between herself and Sterling between September 2013 and April 2014. Her agents then provided the audio to TMZ, according to the lawsuit.
In addition, the lawsuit argues that the audio was chagned in some way, and that Sterling’s privacy rights have been violated.
TMZ posted the audio tape last year, creating a backlash against the former Los Angeles Clippers owner. The NBA banned Sterling for life and hit him with a $2.5 million fine.
“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people,” a man identified as Sterling can be heard saying in the audio in response to Stiviano posting a photo on Instagram with Lakers legend Magic Johnson. “You can sleep with (black people). You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it … and not to bring them to my games.”
Sterling and his wife Shelly sold the Clippers to Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. Sterling, who originally purchased the team for $1 billion, would double his investment.
Source: Variety
