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 V. Stiviano, 32, described herself instead as a onetime
confidante, personal assistant and platonic companion of the
80-year-old billionaire real estate mogul, who she said chose to
give her large sums of money and expensive gifts as gestures of
his love and appreciation.
Stiviano was called to the witness stand in Los Angeles Superior
Court on the second day of the non-jury trial of a lawsuit
brought by Sterling's wife, Shelly, seeking the return of more
than $3.6 million in joint marital assets she claims her husband
was swindled into furnishing Stiviano without her permission.
A forensic accountant called as an expert witness by the
plaintiffs testified that gifts from Donald Sterling to Stiviano
included a $1.8 million duplex in Los Angeles, $1.2 million in
cash payments and several luxury cars.
Stiviano's lawyer, Mac Nehoray, however, questioned the
documentation of many of the cash deposits and credit card
purchases the plaintiffs asserted that Donald Sterling made on
her behalf.
The judge indicated at the end of Thursday's session that he
found the money trail murky for all but about $700,000 of cash
payments and credit-card purchases acknowledged by Stiviano.
Testimony was expected to conclude on Friday.
Shelly Sterling, who accused Stiviano of fraud when she took the
stand on Wednesday, said in her lawsuit that Stiviano was
essentially a gold digger who seduced her husband into lavishing
her with money and gifts.
[to top of second column] |
Stiviano did not dispute Donald Sterling's generosity but denied she
used sex to manipulate him.
"We developed a relationship of love for each other but it wasn't
romantic," she said under questioning by Shelly Sterling's lawyer,
Pierce O'Donnell.
It was Stiviano who recorded a now-infamous conversation with Donald
Sterling in which he berated her for associating with black people
and urged her not to bring minorities with her to Clippers games.
In the furor sparked when the recording was made public - Stiviano
has said it was leaked to the media by a friend - the NBA banned
Sterling from the league for life, and he was ultimately forced to
sell the Clippers franchise he had owned for 33 years.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Eric Beech)
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