Injuries to King Are Downplayed

Lawyers for the city neared the end of their defense in the Rodney G. King lawsuit Monday, calling a flurry of witnesses who testified that King’s injuries are overstated and that he enjoys a certain celebrity status from his run-in with the law three years ago.

Dr. David J. Paster, former head of psychiatry at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, said King did not suffer from psychological trauma as a result of his beating by police officers in 1991.

“He was raised as a child to be very strong mentally and not to give in,” said Paster, one of several doctors called to testify for the city and the 15 present and former police officers named as defendants in King’s multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit.

Medical experts who testified for King said he suffers from permanent brain damage, blurred vision, headaches and loss of concentration.

Patricia Loncaric, who had seen King in public, was called by defense attorneys to counter claims that King suffers from fear of leaving his house. Loncaric said she saw King at a Lakers basketball game in March, 1993, signing autographs.

“He seemed completely relaxed and at ease,” she said, adding that she observed him smiling and drinking beers.

Milton Grimes, King’s attorney, said he attended the game with King and two bodyguards.

On cross-examination, Loncaric conceded that she could not see King’s face clearly and that she was not sure he was drinking beer.

Later, defense attorneys told U.S. District Judge John G. Davies they would wrap up their case in the trial’s first phase today with an economist as their final witness. King’s attorneys said they plan to call at least two doctors and an audio expert as rebuttal witnesses.

After the trial’s first phase, the 10-member jury will decide compensatory damages King will be paid by the city, which has accepted responsibility for his injuries. King asked for $9.6 million and rejected a city offer to settle the case for $1.25 million.

After compensatory damages are determined, a second phase will determine whether individual police officers and other defendants must pay punitive damages.

Four officers were tried for King’s beating and acquitted in a state trial, sparking three days of rioting in 1992. Laurence M. Powell and Stacey C. Koon were later convicted of violating King’s civil rights and are serving 30-month sentences in federal prison.