Court Denies Sterling's Appeal Of Ruling To Allow Sale Of Clippers
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A petition filed by Donald Sterling's attorneys seeking writ relief was denied late Friday evening by an appellate court.
The 2nd District Court of Appeal indicated on its website that the petition was summarily denied by an order. No further information was provided.
In the papers filed Friday, Sterling's attorneys had requested an immediate stay of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas' decision that paved the way for the sale of the NBA franchise to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: CLIPPERS OWNER CONTROVERSY
In their papers, they contended that the sale of the team is slated to occur no later than Aug. 15, but could happen sooner.
They stated, once the sale goes through, Sterling will have lost a "unique and irretrievable asset." Sterling's attorneys further argued that under his ownership, which spanned three decades, the Clippers recently became one of the most successful franchises in the country.
The request for the writ of mandate followed last month's tentative ruling by Levanas who found that Shelly Sterling acted properly in removing her estranged husband as trustee of the family trust that owns the Clippers. During the bench trial, Judge Levanas also ruled that the sale could proceed regardless of an appeal.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Sterling's attorneys have until Wednesday to file their objections to Levanas' ruling.
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