Donald Sterling's wife faces off in court with his girlfriend

AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawyer for the estranged wife of billionaire Donald Sterling says his mistress manipulated and deceived him out of more than $3.5 million.

Attorney Pierce O'Donnell said Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom that V. Stiviano was in the relationship solely for the money and that gifts were community property that belong to Sterling's wife.

O'Donnell says Stiviano has hidden the money in many bank accounts.

Stiviano's lawyer, Mac Nehoray, says Sterling gave the gifts when he was separated from his wife, Shelly Sterling, and that no real community property was transferred to his client.

Stiviano's recording of Sterling making racially insensitive remarks cost him ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Shelly Sterling is seeking the gifts her husband gave Stiviano that include a house, fancy cars, jewelry and designer clothes.

The trial comes nearly a year after Stiviano's recording of Donald Sterling telling her not to publicly associate with blacks led to a bizarre series of events culminating with his lifetime ban from basketball and the record $2 billion sale of the team that was once the butt of jokes.

Sterling, a lawyer known for relishing a skirmish, vowed to fight the NBA to his death, filing lawsuits against the league and his wife in state and federal courts. He is also suing two doctors who said he had symptoms of Alzheimer's, a diagnosis that allowed his wife to seize the family trust and sell the team.

The recording created a minor celebrity out of Stiviano, who was seen in photos cozying up to the 80-year-old billionaire courtside at Clippers games. She was shadowed by paparazzi as she emerged from her home wearing a large visor and other disguises, but remained a mystery.

Her Instagram account bio described her as an "artist, lover, writer, chef, poet, stylist, philanthropist."

A month before the recording surfaced, Shelly Sterling had sued Stiviano, who she said met her husband at the 2010 Super Bowl and was his mistress.

Stiviano has also been called Sterling's girlfriend, though she's denied having a romantic relationship with him.

The trial could see the three in the same courtroom as Shelly Sterling has them all listed as possible witnesses.

Whatever the nature of their relationship was, Sterling showered Stiviano with pricey gifts that included a $1.8 million Spanish duplex near Beverly Hills, a Ferrari and two Bentleys.

The fortune represents just a fraction of wealth the Sterlings amassed through a portfolio of 160 apartment buildings around Los Angeles.

Stiviano's attorney denied in court papers that Stiviano took advantage of Sterling, saying that there was no evidence "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."

Judge Richard Fruin previously tossed out Stiviano's countersuit that claimed she had been defamed by Shelly Sterling. Fruin said she presented no evidence to support her claim that Shelly Sterling called her a thief and an embezzler in media reports.

Lawyers did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday.

PHOTOS: Donald Sterling through the years