Anyone who gets angry can drop a dime on you. And you should hope that when it gets investigated, you will be cleared at the end of the investigation.
But something happened, Sterling had to pay up.
"2006: U.S. Dept. of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination. Allegedly, he said, “Black tenants smell and attract vermin.”
2009: He reportedly paid $2.73 million in a Justice Dept. suit alleging he discriminated against blacks, Hispanics, and families with children in his rentals. (He also had to pay an additional nearly $5 million in attorneys fees and costs due to his counsel’s “sometimes outrageous conduct.”)"
http://time.com/79590/donald-sterling-kareem-abdul-jabbar-racism/kareem-abdul-jabbar-racism/
A lot of millions there if it was FALSE.