Donald Sterling's Lawyer Accuses Estranged Wife of 'Filthy Hands"

The three-week trial to determine whether Donald Sterling's wife can sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is winding down, with lawyers for the estranged husband and wife issuing their closing arguments in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday.

Donald Sterling initially gave Shelly Sterling written authority to pursue a sale of the team, but he changed his mind after the NBA banned him and fined him for his offensive remarks, his lawyers said. Attorney Max Blecher said Shelly Sterling then turned to 'Plan B' and tricked her husband into taking mental exams that found he had signs of the onset of Alzheimer's disease - prompting his removal as trustee of the Sterling Family Trust and allowing her to move forward with the sale. Donald Sterling, in turn, tried to stop the sale by dissolving the trust.

'Pure and simple, an insidious scheme to strip Donald Sterling of his status as a co-trustee...Her hands are not unclean, they're filthy, filthy!'

Lawyers for Shelly Sterling are asking the judge to allow the sale to go forward so a contract can be in place before NBA owners meet on Aug. 15.

'[Donald Sterling] ignores the fact that he signed the trust that allows for his removal....No matter how much calumny Mr. Blecher throws at Mrs. Sterling, the evidence is undisputed that Shelly cared about her husband,' said her Lawyer Pierce O'Donnell.

Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas said he will issue a tentative ruling on Monday afternoon.

IN-DEPTH

First published July 28 2014, 12:29 PM

Maria Elena Fernandez

Maria Elena Fernandez is the Los Angeles entertainment correspondent. She started this role in May 2013. Fernandez is responsible for covering televsion, film, music, pop culture, and celebrity justice for NBCNews.com and Today.com. Fernandez reports to entertainment editor Courtney Hazlett.She previously worked at The Daily Beast and Newsweek. Before that, Fernandez was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times for 12 years. She also spent many years on the crime beat as a staff writer at The Washington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Fernandez is the author of a children's book, 'The Secret of Fern Island,' which was published in 1996 under a pseudonym so that she wouldn't be stalked by screaming children. Fernandez is a member of the National Hispanic Journalists Association and the Television Critics Association.

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