Exiled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been declared mentally competent after a medical evaluation which took place over the weekend, Sterling's lawyer, Maxwell Blecher, revealed to USA Today Sports on Monday.
According to USA Today's David Leon Moore, "Blecher said he was told by his legal team that the evaluation showed that Sterling showed no lack of mental capacity but did show signs of mild cognitive impairment -- a common condition considering his age, he said."
The doctor who examined Sterling, Dr. Jeffery Cummings, has been identified as a potential witness in the probate case between Donald Sterling and his wife, Shelly - scheduled to begin on July 7th.
Earlier on Monday, Blecher and the rest of Sterling's legal team filed papers with the court that Shelly Sterling had both "blindsided" and "duped" her husband in having two doctors certify his mental incapacitation in writing.
Per Moore, "they also allege she used those medical opinions to remove him as a co-trustee of the Sterling Family Trust, then agreed to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to billionaire former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer."
What this means for the trial and the pending sale of the Clippers
Judge Michael Levinas is slated to make a ruling on Monday about when the trial should begin. Donald Sterling's lawyers are seeking a continuance of at least three weeks, while Shelly Sterling's representation wants the trial to proceed on schedule so as not to jeopardize the sale to Ballmer.
Levinas is also scheduled to reveal the scope of the trial and whether testimony from Donald Sterling's doctor should be allowed to hold weight.
If Cummings is allowed to testify, the court could very well rule that Shelly Sterling manipulated her husband into signing a decree of his mental incapacity - thus potentially nullifying the sale of the Clippers to Ballmer, putting Donald Sterling back in control of his half of the family trust, and thus shifting the onus back on the NBA to oust Donald Sterling from his position as the team's owner.
In papers filed on Monday, Donald Sterling's representation again questioned the validity of the evaluations he underwent:
"Donald should have been properly informed that the doctors were evaluating his legal capacity for purposes of determining his ability to continue to serve as Co-Trustee of the Sterling Family Trust, a position he had held continuously for many years," the brief states, via Moore's article on Monday.
"Donald should not have been duped."
In a counter statement, Shelly Sterling's lawyers contend that there was no ambiguity to the trust agreement, and that all procedures and steps were taken in the proper manner to remove Donald Sterling from the family trust.
Chat Sports will have more on this breaking story as additional information is made available.
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