Donald Sterling filed lawsuits Friday against media outlet TMZ and his ex-girlfriend, V. Stiviano, over the released recording of his controversial comments that resulted in his losing ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.
Sterling accused both parties of violating his privacy and damaging him on a scale which he deems to be “unparalleled and unprecedented,” the Daily News reports.
The recordings in question, released last April, documented Sterling telling Stiviano that he didn’t want her to associate with black people in public. Stiviano claims that she had Sterling’s approval to record the conversation; Sterling maintains that it was a private conversation which she did not have permission to record.
After the remarks were released, the National Basketball Association banned Sterling from league activities, while Shelly Sterling, the billionaire’s wife, sold the Clippers with court approval. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer bought the team for $2 billion.