Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling agreed to pay $2.725 million to settle a U.S. government lawsuit in which he was accused of housing discrimination. The Justice Department said the settlement is the largest ever obtained by the government in a discrimination case.

“Housing is a basic human need, and yet decades after passage of the Fair Housing Act far too many still encounter barriers like discrimination,” Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said. “The magnitude of this settlement should send a message to all landlords that we will vigorously pursue violations of the Fair Housing Act.”

The government sued Sterling in August 2006, accusing him of discriminating against black and Hispanic prospective tenants in buildings he owns the Koreatown area in Los Angeles. The Sterling Family Trust denied liability as part of the settlement, saying it would cost less to settle than to continue fighting the lawsuit.

This is not the first lawsuit of this kind brought against Sterling. In 2003, 19 plaintiffs sued, accusing Sterling of driving blacks and Latinos out of buildings. He was ordered to pay a settlement and pay $5 million in plaintiffs’ attorney fees alone.

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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