Donald Sterling ordered to testify in lawsuit against wife

Author:
SI Wire
Publish date:
Jul 8, 2014

Donald Sterling was ordered to testify in a probate case over ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers after skipping the opening day of the trial.

The trial moved forward without Sterling after the billionaire's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to move the trial to federal court.

The first person to take the stand was neurologist Dr. Meril Sue Platzer, who said Sterling had Alzheimer's disease. Sterling reportedly got a PET scan from Platzer, who was hired by Sterling's wife Shelly in May. The scan found that Sterling was suffering from cognitive impairment secondary to primary dementia Alzheimer’s disease. Sterling got a second opinion that confirmed the original diagnosis.

"After it was over," Platzer said, according to the Associated Press.
"I told him and Mrs. Sterling that he probably has Alzheimer's."
"What was his reaction?" asked Pierce O'Donnell, an attorney for Sterling's wife.
"I'm hungry. I want to eat," Platzer said. Shelly Sterling "was taken aback, shocked and very concerned for her husband," the doctor said.

McCANN: Donald Sterling no-shows for first day of hearings in lawsuit against wife

Sterling's lawyers have said that Shelly Sterling has no right to sell the team to former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer for a reported $2 billion. In April, Donald Sterling was banned from the NBA and fined $2.5 million after he was heard on an audio recording making racist comments.

The NBA is set to vote on the deal next week and if the issue is not resolved by September, the league could seize the franchise and put it up for auction.

Clippers fans react to Donald Sterling

Clippers Fans React to Donald Sterling

140430103249-0-clippers-fans-x158159-tk1-249-single-image-cut.jpg — Bret Hartman/SI

On April 29, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million for making racist comments in a recorded conversation. Later in the day, Los Angeles hosted the Warriors in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series. Staples Center fans weren't shy about expressing their support for the NBA's ruling and backing the Clippers, who won 113-103 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.