L.A. Ordered to Pay King Lawyers $22,000 in Expenses

The federal court clerk’s office Friday ordered the city of Los Angeles to reimburse Rodney G. King’s lawyers about $22,000 in legal expenses, but the attorneys are still awaiting a judge’s decision on their request for $4.4 million in attorney fees.

A city attorney’s spokesman said King’s attorneys, who can appeal the clerk’s decision to U.S. District Judge John Davies, asked for $95,000 for deposition costs, photocopying and other legal expenses.

In April, a federal jury ordered the city to pay King $3.8 million in damages after a 10-week civil trial stemming from his 1991 beating by Los Angeles police officers.

More than two dozen of King’s lawyers have asked Davies to award them fees totaling $4.4 million for their work on the case.

The clerk’s office has the authority to act on litigation support costs. Richard Janisch, the office’s director, told the Associated Press he omitted three-quarters of the requests for reimbursement because they either did not fall under the guidelines for reimbursement or attorneys failed to provide proper documentation.

“We feel that this amount is a fair and equitable figure for both the plaintiff in this case and the taxpayers of Los Angeles,” City Atty. James Hahn said.

King’s attorney, Steven Lerman, had not seen the clerk’s order but said: “This is a chapter in the city’s history that everybody wants to see closed.”

The order came a day after King settled a child-support lawsuit by agreeing to pay an undisclosed amount on behalf of a 12-year-old daughter in San Bernardino.

As he left the courthouse Thursday, King said he was relieved that the situation was resolved.