V Stiviano, Donald Sterling’s rumored ex mistress, was ordered by a Los Angeles court to return $2.6 million to the Sterling Trust and Sterling’s wife, Shelly Sterling.

V Stiviano Ordered To Return Expensive Gifts

Stiviano, 32, first became a household name after she allegedly leaked the racist recordings of then-LA Clippers owner Sterling, 80, in May of 2014. Though many, including Sterling’s wife, believe Stiviano was Sterling’s mistress, both Stiviano and Sterling have denied any affair.

A photo posted by V Stiviano (@vstiviano) on Mar 18, 2015 at 12:01pm PDT

Shelly Sterling originally filed suit against Stiviano in early 2014, a month before the audio recording of Sterling’s racist rant were leaked, and now Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard Fruin Jr. has ruled that Stiviano must return the $2.6 million in gifts given to her by Sterling over the course of their relationship.

According to the suit, Sterling bought Stiviano a $1.8 million home in addition to three luxury cars – a Bentley, a Range Rover and one Ferrari – and a variety of smaller gifts, all valued at $800,000. Shelly maintained that Stiviano had manipulated her husband into bankrolling her expensive lifestyle, while Stiviano contested that the gifts were all offered to her by Sterling himself while he and his wife were separated. Shelly’s attorney, Pierce O’Donnell, said his client was “thrilled with the decision,” but Mr. Sterling, who was not a party in the suit, released a statement saying he frowned upon the entire conflict.

V Stiviano To Appeal

“The litigation against Ms. Stiviano is and has always been Shelly Sterling’s pet project and merely extended Ms. Stiviano’s time in the public arena. The sums spent by Shelly in pursuing this matter likely exceed any amount that will be recovered,” said Sterling’s attorney Bobby Samini. While Stiviano and Sterling appear to have parted ways, Stiviano said she still loved him in an Instagram post in March. “I’ll kiss you goodbye, Donald T. Sterling, my immortal friend. I will always LOVE you,” Stiviano wrote.

I’ll kiss you goodbye, Donald T. Sterling, my immortal friend. I will always LOVE you. -V.Stiviano The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. Maybe they always have been and will be. Maybe we’ve lived a thousand lives before this one and in each of them we’ve found each other. And maybe each time, we’ve been forced apart for the same reasons. That means that this goodbye is both a goodbye for the past ten thousand years and a prelude to what will come. #MarchMaddness #LOVE #black #angels #angel #new #bad #darkness #signs #warning #vision #clarity #future #scary #transitioning #woman #villain #fashionistas #soulsearching #v #vendetta #TheSkeletonBox #SkeletonsInTheCloset #skeletonscomingout #Goodbye #VStiviano

A photo posted by V Stiviano (@vstiviano) on Mar 24, 2015 at 10:37pm PDT

Stiviano has been using her Instagram page as a podium to speak out against Shelly Sterling. In one post, Stiviano suggested that various news outlets were controlled by the Sterlings. And, in another, Stiviano aimed to discredit Shelly Sterling’s lawyer, O’Donnell.

Stiviano’s attorney, Mac Nehoray, announced that his client would be appealing the decision. “We are very disappointed. Judges are supposed to interpret the law, not make them,” Nehoray said.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.