LOS ANGELES (CN) - Clippers owner Donald Sterling on Tuesday agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle allegations that he favored Koreans and discriminated against blacks, Hispanics and families with children at his 119 apartment complexes across Los Angeles. It is the largest housing discrimination settlement over apartment rentals ever won by the Justice Department, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The settlement gave Sterling and his wife, Rochelle, 30 days to pay $2.6 million to a discrimination victims' fund of the government's choosing. They also must pay $100,000 in penalties to the federal government.
The Sterlings denied any wrongdoing, and agreed to settle "to avoid costly and protracted litigation," according to the proposed consent order. The agreement must be OK'd by U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer.
The settlement also requires the Sterlings to hire an independent contractor to make sure their workers adhere to Fair Housing laws for the next three years.
The feds sued the Sterlings three years ago, accusing them of favoring Koreans while excluding blacks and families with children in the 5,000 units they own in about 119 buildings across Los Angeles.
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