LOS ANGELES — Clippers owner and real estate mogul Donald Sterling has agreed to pay a record $2.73 million to settle allegations by the government that he refused to rent apartments to Hispanics, blacks and to families with children, the Justice Department announced yesterday.
The Justice Department sued Sterling in August 2006 for allegations of housing discrimination in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. Other defendants were Sterling’s wife, Rochelle, and the Sterling Family Trust.
The defendants allegedly made statements to employees indicating that African-Americans and Hispanics were not desirable tenants. Court filings indicated that Sterling rented to fewer blacks and Hispanics in Koreatown than would be expected based on demographics, according to the Justice Department. In settling the lawsuit, however, the defendants denied any liability.
Sterling, the Clippers and the NBA are being sued by former Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor, who claims he was forced out of his job a year ago by age and racial discrimination. The team said he resigned. Baylor, a 75-year-old Hall of Fame player who is black, was the team’s GM for 22 years.
Sterling is best known for presiding over the Clippers, who won just 19 games last season and have had two winning seasons in the last 30 years.