Former L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s is suing TMZ and former girlfriend V. Stiviano, claiming they violated his right to privacy.
Sterling’s suit alleges that the tapes Stiviano gave to TMZ of Sterling’s racial remarks in September 2013 were made without Sterling’s knowledge, and were altered by either Stiviano or TMZ to “reflect conversations … that either never occurred, were grossly distorted and/or stated out of context,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
In addition, the Hollywood Reporter reports, the suit charged: “Unbeknownst to Sterling at the time, Stiviano had a policy and practice of regularly recording conversation between herself and Sterling.”
The Reporter stated that the suit charges that the defendants violated California’s unfair business practices laws and penal codes 630-637, which make “eavesdropping” via electronic devices illegal.
Mac Nehoray, representing Stiviano, had previously stated that Sterling was aware he was being taped, and that Stiviano was not involved in the distribution of the recording.
In March, Sterling filed a lawsuit against the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver, and stated some of the statements attributed to him on the tape had been altered by Stiviano or people she knew.
The recording allegedly showed Sterling admonishing Stiviano for befriending blacks and attending Clippers games with them, saying, “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. 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.”
After TMZ published the tapes, Silver fined Sterling $2.5-million, forced him permanently out of the NBA, and required him to sell the team.