Who Is The Woman At Center Of Donald Sterling Racial Comments Controversy?

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The woman who is in the center of the racial comments controversy involving Clippers owner Donald Sterling is avoiding the media, even as they gather outside her home.

A note on V. Stiviano's front door says she has "no comment."

She referred all questions to a legal representative from "Nehoray Legal Group."

CBS2's Greg Mills said he saw Stiviano come down a side staircase but when she saw him, she quickly darted back up the stairs of her Beverly Grove duplex.

Not a lot is known about Stiviano, other than she has been named in court papers as Sterling's mistress.

We know her first name is Vivian, but she goes by V. She is much younger than Sterling, and she is being sued by Sterling's wife.

Sterling's wife, Rochelle, is suing Stiviano, after it was reported that Sterling gave the alleged mistress four luxury cars, which are said to be worth about half a million dollars, as well as a $1.8 million duplex.

The duplex, according to court records, is under Stiviano's name.

Mrs. Sterling argues that the gifts were given to Stiviano with money that she says belonged to the couple, and was performed without her knowledge or consent.

"Typically you sue your husband or wife, when they engage in this kind of behavior," Family Law Attorney and Glendale University College of Law professor David Friedman said. "You don't sue the girlfriend or the boyfriend, or whoever receives the gifts."

We also know Stiviano and Sterling met four years ago, at a Super Bowl party.

Her lawyer said today that Stiviano had nothing to with the release of the recorded conversation first heard yesterday on TMZ.

Mac E. Nehoray, Stiviano's attorney said, "... audio recording of Mr. Donald T. Sterling and Ms. Stiviano ... is in fact legitimate. Ms. Stiviano did not release the tape(s) to any news media."

In the recordings, among other comments, a man purported to be Sterling is heard telling the woman (the lawyer confirms it is Stiviano) "don't bring black people to my games."

Basketball fans Mills spoke to expressed mixed emotions.

One black man said he was willing to cut Sterling some slack due to the fact Stiviano is of mixed race.

"She's half African-American, she's half Hispanic," he said, "So, if he's dating her, I don't think he's a racist in that way."

Many others were simply appalled by what they heard on the recordings.

One man said, "It's an absolutely ridiculous, unacceptable thing for him to say."

Another man said, "As a black man, I am totally upset."

Neighbors told Mills that Stiviano moved into the neighborhood late last year.

One woman said Stiviano was a good neighbor, albeit not a terribly friendly one.

"I tried to smile at her once" said the neighbor, "and she was very -- cold."

The woman added that she never saw Donald Sterling visit but that Stiviano's friends drive very fancy cars.

He also talked to neighbors at her prior residence, a place she lived about four years.

Those neighbors also told Mills Stiviano had many visitors who were always in high-end cars. And the neighbors told him, "the police were often here as well."

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Wife Of Clippers Owner Sues Woman She Alleges Had Affair With Her Husband

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• NBA
• Donald Sterling