This is n't the first time Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has faced allegations that he 's racist . Audio recordings from a conversation full of racist comments attributed to Sterling surfaced over the weekend , bringing national attention to him and his team . But the billionaire real estate mogul has found himself in hot water in the past , denying in court accusations of discrimination tied to the NBA team and to property he owns . A top team executive accused Sterling of running the Clippers with a `` plantation '' mentality . Federal prosecutors accused his rental company of refusing to lease Beverly Hills apartments to African-Americans . And a group of tenants accused him of `` numerous discriminatory statements and housing practices . '' `` Actions speak louder than words , and Mr. Sterling 's actions have been consistent , '' former NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told CNN 's `` The Lead with Jake Tapper '' on Monday . Abdul-Jabbar , who coached the Clippers for about three months in 2000 , said Sterling has `` a bad reputation . '' `` I 'm not surprised by this very much , '' he said , `` and that 's really the most unfortunate part of this . '' Sterling , who has not publicly commented about the recordings , has owned the team for more than three decades . Clippers President Andy Roeser said Sunday that Sterling is upset and `` emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with , nor does it reflect , his views , beliefs or feelings . '' Here 's a look at what court documents reveal about several claims made against Sterling in the past : . 2009 : Clippers ' former general manager files a wrongful termination lawsuit . Elgin Baylor , who was executive vice president and general manager of the Clippers from 1986 to 2008 , filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination against Sterling in 2009 , saying that the team 's owner underpaid him and treated him `` as a token because of his race . '' Baylor , who is African-American and an 11-time NBA All-Star , said Sterling would n't let him negotiate players ' salaries and had a vision of a `` Southern Plantation type structure '' for the team . Sterling , according to Baylor 's complaint , told Baylor repeatedly that he `` wanted the CLIPPERS team to be composed of 'Poor Black boys from the South ' and a White head coach . '' The lawsuit also accuses Sterling of ageism and alleges that Sterling harassed him by making demeaning comments about his age . Sterling denied those accusations and said the team acted within its rights and `` for good cause and not for any improper reason . '' Before the case went to trial , Baylor dropped the racial discrimination claim but maintained accusations of age discrimination . A jury sided with Sterling in 2011 . At the time , the jury 's foreman said jurors believed Baylor was fired because the `` team had n't been performing , '' according to the Los Angeles Times . 2006 : Justice Department accuses Sterling of housing discrimination . A Justice Department lawsuit filed in 2006 accused Sterling 's rental company of refusing to lease Beverly Hills apartments to African-Americans , refusing to rent to non-Koreans in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles County and turning away families with children from its properties . That case was settled in 2009 , with Sterling agreeing to pay nearly $ 3 million but continuing to deny the accusations . `` The magnitude of this settlement should send a message to all landlords that we will vigorously pursue violations of the Fair Housing Act , '' Thomas E. Perez , then head of the Justice Department 's Civil Rights Division , said at the time . Robert Platt , a lawyer for the Sterling Family Trust , said at the time that the settlement includes no admission of liability and the government `` could not identify a single individual who was wrongfully denied the right to rent an apartment from the trust . '' He said the company had a `` zero-tolerance '' policy regarding discrimination . `` My clients vehemently and unequivocally deny that anyone was discriminated against , '' Platt said in a written statement on the settlement . `` Nevertheless , the insurance companies for the trust decided to settle the case because the cost of continued litigation far exceeded the cost of settlement . '' 2003 : Tenants , nonprofit allege housing discrimination . The nonprofit Housing Rights Center and a group of tenants who lived in Sterling 's properties filed a federal lawsuit in 2003 against Sterling , accusing him of `` numerous discriminatory statements and housing practices , '' according to court documents . Court documents allege that Sterling told building staff that he did not like Hispanic or African-American tenants and that he preferred Korean-American tenants and made `` disparaging comments '' about African-American and Hispanic tenants . They also allege that Sterling 's company refused to accept rent from African-American and Latino tenants -- then later attempted `` to use the tenants ' supposed failure to pay rent as a basis for eviction . '' And they claim that African-American and Latino tenants were asked to sign in as visitors at apartment buildings where they had long lived . Sterling , according to court documents , `` vehemently denied '' the allegations and accused the plaintiffs of `` being unreliable tenants and for being driven by hidden agendas . '' The case was dismissed in 2005 after a settlement was reached . Details of the deal were not disclosed . According to court documents , a judge ordered Sterling to pay nearly $ 5 million in attorney 's fees to the plaintiffs .
Abdul-Jabbar : `` Actions speak louder than words , and Mr. Sterling 's actions have been consistent with his words. In a 2009 settlement , Sterling agreed to pay nearly $ 3 million but denied accusations . Sterling has repeatedly denied allegations of race discrimination .