Plaintiff in Police Brutality Suit Admits Inconsistencies

Under withering cross-examination, the Haitian immigrant who says he was brutalized by police in a station-house bathroom acknowledged inconsistencies and an outright lie in his story Monday but blamed medication, a faulty memory and bad advice.

“I was under medication,” Abner Louima said when confronted with past comments contradicting his testimony from last week. “And my memory, it wasn’t clear like it is now, today.”

During Louima’s second day on the stand in the trial of five white police officers, defense attorney Marvyn Kornberg suggested Louima changed his story to support a lawsuit filed on his behalf by lawyers Johnnie Cochran Jr., Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld.

“Has your memory gotten better since you retained Mr. Cochran, Mr. Scheck and Mr. Neufeld in a $155-million lawsuit?” asked Kornberg, who represents Officer Justin Volpe.

“No, sir,” Louima replied.

Kornberg noted that Louima, while in the hospital in 1997, gave a statement to a grand jury saying no other officer held him down as Volpe allegedly sodomized him with a broken broomstick. Last week, Louima testified that an officer restrained him by grabbing the chain of his handcuffs.

Louima, 32, had also identified Volpe as the officer who hit him in the head with a police radio--contradicting grand jury testimony in which he could not identify the attacker.

The witness said his trial testimony was more accurate because “I’ve had more time to think.”

Louima also said he took the advice of friends and lied in saying an officer had told him “It’s Giuliani time”--a reference to the law-and-order policies of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

“You lied under oath to the grand jury, didn’t you?” Kornberg pressed.

“Yes,” Louima replied quietly.

Louima was hospitalized with severe internal injuries after the incident, which prompted demonstrations against police brutality. In opening statements, Kornberg suggested the injuries may have come from gay intercourse.

Volpe is among four officers charged with beating Louima. Volpe and Officer Charles Schwarz also are charged with the bathroom attack. A fifth officer is charged with covering up the assault.