Donald Sterling's girlfriend: What you should know about V. Stiviano - The Star-Ledger

What do we know about the woman at the center of the NBA racism controversy?

V. Stiviano has ducked the media since a recorded conversation allegedly between her and Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was published by TMZ on Saturday morning. The 9 1/2-minute audio, which contains racially insensitive remarks allegedly by Sterling, has sparked an NBA investigation and widespread calls for Sterling to be stripped of the team.

Here's what we know about her:

-- Stiviano does not admit to being Donald Sterling's mistress. "Neither Ms. Stiviano, nor this office has ever alleged that Ms. Stiviano is, or ever was, Mr. Sterling's girlfriend," Stiviano's attorney Mac Nehoray said in a statement Sunday night.

-- Stiviano, who is nearly 50 years younger than Donald Sterling, was sued in March by Sterling's wife, Rochelle Sterling, who wants the return of a $1.8 million duplex Donald Sterling bought for Viviano. Rochelle Sterling says in the lawsuit she believed her husband's name would be on the deed when it was purchased in December 2013, but it wasn't.

-- Rochelle Sterling also seeks a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover she said her husband purchased for Stiviano. Donald Sterling also gave Stiviano $240,000 for living expenses, according to Rochelle Sterling's lawsuit. In all, roughly $2 million of community property was allegedly spent on Stiviano without Rochelle Sterling's knowledge, she said in the lawsuit.

-- Rochelle Sterling says in the lawsuit that her husband met Stiviano at the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami. She said Stiviano, 31, targets wealthy older men like Sterling, who is 80.

-- In response to the lawsuit, Stiviano said Rochelle Sterling had to know her husband had romantic relationships outside the marriage, although Stiviano does not admit to being Sterling's mistress. She mocks Rochelle Sterling's assertion that the "feminine wiles of Ms. Stiviano overpowered the iron will of Donald T. Sterling, who is well known as one of the most shrewd businessmen in the world."

-- In 2010, Stiviano legally changed her name to V. Stiviano from Maria Vanessa Perez. In a court petition, she had not "yet been fully accepted because of my race," according to the Los Angeles Times.

-- She has created "V. Stiviano" hats and shirts, and her Instagram account includes photos of people posing in the clothing.

-- Stiviano's lawyer says she denies leaking the recorded conversation.

-- The Clippers say Stiviano does not work for the team.

-- An advertisement for a 2011 charity luncheon lists Stiviano as a director of the Donald T. Sterling Charitable Foundation, with Sterling as chairman, according to the L.A. Times.

-- In a statement Saturday, Clippers President Andy Roeser noted that the woman in the audio is accused of embezzling more than $1.8 million.

Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1m21aZK