Clippers Team Held in a Trust - Can the NBA "Trust-Bust"? 

Should Caregivers have a watchful eye out for bad-decision-making of aging parents?

Anyone following the unfolding Clipper drama - about the U.S. - Los Angeles basketball team with owner Sterling?

Why this relates, I believe, to our interests here is that the NBA has banned Sterling from involvement with his team since his alleged and documented remarks which have generally been interpreted more as him being a "Racist" vs. "exercising free speech".  So - one one hand the NBA has told him to "sell the team - NOW!" - that he is no longer recognized as qualified to be considered as an owner - and  the reality, it seems perhaps to be a lot of noise without substance....because his estranged wife has pointed out that she believes the Clippers are owned equally by her as the team ownership is held in their Trust.

The Trust - the discussion question? "What would YOU do?" 

1. Can the NBA -"trust-bust" - and force a new ownership?

2. Can a person in this day and age "own or control" people?

3. Could the Clipper players get out of their contracts for this reason?

4. Could the NBA Board allow for another team to be created and a new owner - and then the Clipper players could transfer to that team?  Would that be legal? It might be one way to have the value of the Clippers go to zero almost overnight, if that is the goal, so that the Sterlings don't benefit from their alleged racism.

5. "WHY" did the NBA and team sweep this under the carpet for so long - if they knew Mr. Sterling had this "pattern" supposedly? Did it only become an issue when his alleged beliefs became more public? Is the outrage exaggerated?

6. Do trusts "protect" - - or "can a trust damage"?

Mrs. Sterling, by the way, apparently with a questionable history of impersonating a health department official in order to determine the racial breakdown of the number of this or that race living in one of their apartment buildings (she was caught on video with audio tape - and it has been shown on most news networks).

Thus, it isn't just an easy decision for the NBA to cooperate with her and let her own and run the team.

I don't know the Sterlings. Mr. Sterling's audio tapes, if in fact him speaking, are pretty sad, I think, free speech or not - yet, how many of us also have parents from his generation where perception of racial relationships were so horribly different than they are today?

As for Ms. Sterling, it's hard to say if she was the wife following her husband's "orders" - as many wives have done from that generation - or was it her idea to go to the apartment building and obtain such information? If she did go on her own, was it some power issue perhaps in play, where she felt it would be a way to gain favor from her husband? Stranger things have happened.

7. Follow-up question: If Mr. Sterling's possible "power over his wife" existed - what ROLE do we as caregivers to aging parents have in protecting our parents, either a) from bad decision-making of one parent influencing the actions of the other due to a power-imbalance? OR - b) what ROLE do we have as caregivers to protect an aging parent from having a cling-on much younger person trying to "vet" their actions, as Mr. Sterling has? Ms. "V. Steviano" interviewed well with Barbara Walters...but I was left wondering 'why' she is clinging on to a man about 50 years older than herself, if it isn't for monetary reasons. The fact that she's vetting who sees and doesn't see him - as she indicated in her interview "I'm his right-hand." - has me concerned for his well-being - even if I don't agree with his comments.

Tags: assets, divorce, estate planning, trust