Sterling Restricted on Naming of Buildings

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling will be prohibited from adding the word “Korean” to the names of his apartment buildings while a discrimination lawsuit against him is pending, a federal judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz said the use of the word Korean indicates “not only an appeal to a particular ethnic group but a preference” that violates the federal Fair Housing Act.

The judge said, however, that Sterling was entitled to use Koreatown in the names of his buildings because that represents a geographic locale. He also barred Sterling from asking tenants where they were born.

Matz acted on a motion by the Housing Rights Center, which filed suit against Sterling in February, contending he was trying to force out non-Korean tenants, especially blacks and Latinos, from his buildings.

Sterling, who owns about 100 apartment buildings in Southern California, has denied the allegations.