Donald Sterling Divorces Wife, Sues TMZ And Former Mistress Over Racist Tape That Lost Him Clippers Basketball Team

Donald Sterling went postal in the past few weeks in a calm litigious, billionaire kind of way. He’s suing his wife Shelly Sterling and divorcing her, suing his ex-lady-friend V. Stiviano along with media leak factory TMZ . Lawsuit, lawsuit, lawsuit -- all product of the fallout from the 2014 tape released by TMZ that included a lover’s quarrel apparently sparked by a photo that Stiviano posted on her instagram with basketball star Magic Johnson. In the tape, Donald Sterling’s seems to say that that he doesn’t want Stiviano “broadcasting” friendships with black people in public. In the tape, Stiviano identifies herself as "mixed," black and "Mexican."

Stirling filed a lawsuit against TMZ and Stiviano last Friday. He alleges that the conversation released by TMZ was private. Under California recording laws all parties must consent to a recording, according to the Digital Media Law Project . He alleges that TMZ remixed his voice to make him sound more racist. Ultimately, he claims, the tape led to him losing ownership of the L.A. Clippers.

But Stiviano attorney Mac Nehoray told the AP that the real estate magnate would have a tough time proving his case. For one thing, Stiviano’s sister was allegedly present, weakening Sterling’s claim to a reasonable expectation of privacy. Second, it’s hard to show that he was injured since the team was not robbed from him, but forced into a sale.

"It's ridiculous if he says he was damaged by it when he made $2 billion," Nehoray said. "I think he's just a litigious person. Unless he has something going on in the public eye, he can't exist."

The billionaire hasn’t seen any of that $2 billion dollars, he says, because of legal maneuvering by his estranged wife Shelly Sterling. Citing two medical examinations, she reportedly saw Donald removed from the family trust overseeing the Clippers following the release of the racist tape, according to the L.A. Times . He’s now suing for his portion of the sale, alleging that she “fraudulently arranged” the medical examinations and conspiring with the league itself to wrest the Clippers from him.