A judge denied a request by a lawyer for Shelly Sterling for protection for himself and two doctors following alleged threats made last week by Clippers co-owner Donald Sterling.
In denying the request, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas said he recognized the high level of emotions surrounding the proposed $2 billion sale of the NBA franchise, but he urged attorneys and parties on both sides to “tone down” their communications.
According to Shelly Sterling’s attorney, Pierce O’Donnell, Donald Sterling called him June 9 and said, “I am going to take you out, O’Donnell.”
“This is not the way you conduct civil litigation in America,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell said the doctors — who previously found Donald to be mentally incapacitated — received letters and voice mails from Sterling last week warning that he would take action to have their medical licenses revoked if they testified against him in a hearing scheduled July 7 to determine if Shelly Sterling has authority to sell the team.
But attorney Maxwell Blecher said his client, Donald, has a “short fuse” and that the incident was merely a “blip on a much larger screen.”
Another attorney, Bobby Samini, said the conversation between Sterling and O’Donnell was “not confrontational, but quite entertaining.” He said court papers were filed on Sterling’s behalf opposing the restraining order motion.
Samini said the letters O’Donnell referred to were sent to the doctors to advise them not to distribute Sterling’s medical records to third parties with no involvement in the litigation.
