Donald Sterling petitions appeals court to overturn Clippers sale

Hours after the announcement of the Clippers’ sale Tuesday, Donald Sterling petitioned an appeals court to overturn the move.

“An immediate stay from this court, and an order halting or unwinding the sale, is necessary,� the filing said, “to allow meaningful review of the novel and erroneous legal determinations made here, and to restore public faith in our justice system.�

Sterling’s petition asks the court to set aside the final statement of decision Tuesday issued in the probate court case that cleared the way for Steve Ballmer’s $2-billion purchase of the franchise.

The petition wants the “consummation of the sale� and “all orders of the trial court� halted pending the appellate court’s review.

Pierce O’Donnell, Shelly Sterling’s attorney, called the petition “patently frivolous.�

The NBA earlier announced Ballmer’s purchase of the Clippers had closed.

The transaction is expected to end a fractious period of nearly four months in which Sterling fought to retain control of the team he had presided over for three decades. A judge affirmed the right of Shelly Sterling, Donald’s estranged wife, to wrest control of the team from her husband and sell it to Ballmer.

Ballmer’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, said the agreement to sell the Clippers quickly finalized after Judge Michael Levanas signed the final order Tuesday morning permitting the sale.