VOL 61 • NO. 1S
LOYOLA MAWMOUNT UNNeXSlT/
JANUAKY 21, m2
Conflicts Hinder Negotiations in Gathers Suit
Cardiologist Settles Out of
Court, Westhead Demands
Public Apology from Family
By Beverly M. Butler
Editor-in-chief
T^he lawsuit that is attempting
-l to prove Loyola Mary mount
University negligent in the death of
former basketball star Hank Gath¬
ers has become more confusing
during the recent month as settle¬
ments and alleged settlements are
negotiated.
In early December, Vernon
Hattori, the cardiologist who treated
Gathers, agreed to pay $1 million
to Gathers’ mother and son in order
to drop his name, and his firm’s
name, from the wrongful death suits
filed against them and 12 other
defendants.
In the same eight-hour settle¬
ment negotiation, LMU’s offer fell
about $2 million short of the plain¬
tiffs’ expectations, and as reported
in the Los Angeles Tjme$l “barely
matched Hattori’s.”
When Hattori’s judgment is paid,
it will release both him and Apex
Cardiology from the suits which
charge them with “negligence in
the medical treatment of Gathers.”
An autopsy listed the cause of death
as a heart disorder, but representa¬
tives of Gathers’ estate maintain
that he would not have died had his
conditions been “properly treated.”
Gathers collapsed March4,1990,
while playing in a postseason game
and died approximately two hours
later at Daniel Freeman Marina
Hospital.
Hattori’s attorney, C. Snyder
Patin, said his client accepted the
plaintiff’s demand for compromise
because “he was concerned that a
jury would question some of his
[Hattori’s] judgment calls in his
treatment of Gathers.” According to
the Times , he said the offer is en¬
tered by the court as a judgment,
but is not and admission of guilt by
Hattori.
"We didn’t want to take a chance
that the plaintiffs would come to the
same realization that we did, which
was that perhaps a jury verdict
against the rest of the defendants
was nqt likely because they did opt
do anything that could be reason¬
ably called into q uestion ,” Patin said .
At the time, sources familiar with
the case told the Times that the
plaintiffs expected LMU to offer $2.5
to $3 million, but the offer in actual¬
ity barely matched Hattori’s $1 mil-
continued on page four
Brzoska to Leave
as Dean of College
of Liberal Arts
By Ray Watts
News Editor
Bather Anthony B. Brzoska, S.J*,
has announced that he will
leave his position as Dean of the
College of Liberal Arts and the
Graduate Division to become the
Research Assistant to the Presi¬
dent, effective July 1 , 1992.
Brzoska commented that his main
goal in his years as Dean was to
promote the faculty. “Many good
things have happened. There have
been many opportunities for
creativity and the college of Liberal
Arts has been able to move along in
new directions.”
“My role has been to give the
faculty all that they need to excel in
teaching. This has included funding
for research, publishing, and travel,”
said Brzoska.
“I have enjoyed where
my office is located. The
first floor of St. Robert’s
sees a lot of student traf¬
fic, especially during reg¬
istration. We have tried to
make it a friendly office. I
have really been lucky to
have my office staffed
with two secretaries and
two Associate Deans.
Fr. Thomas P. O’Malley,
S.J., President of the
University, stated, “Fr.
Brzoska brought a sense
of academic standards
and intellectual pursuit.
He helped a lot of faculty
with their research, and
was a valuable asset in
many projects.”
continued on page fifteen
Photo courtesy of Public kelations
Fr. Brzoska will be leaving his post in July .
AtyS-PuHt |p Blanket Cainpus in March
СтгШтшгВтпуЬткп
(ettsofwhat (he quilt means to the LMU community. Stie StOrympage wo.
Incident” in Hannon
Apartments Brings LAPD
Break-Up of Unauthorized
Party Causes Confusion
By Ray Watts
News Editor
'T'empers flared on Friday night
-l as a post-game unauthorized
party led to confusion in Hannon
Apartments.
Hannon was the site of violence
last October 11, after several par¬
ties got out of hand, and what was
then discribe as a “riot” broke out.
Captain Ray Hilyar, Director of
Public Safety commented» “The
party was very difficult to break up.
We sent officers over after receiv¬
ing a dbll from the Resident Direc¬
tors on duty.”
Hilyar added, “The students at
the party were being very unre¬
sponsive, and the officers on the
scene deemed it necessary to call
LAPD. I think some students think
that we just show up and say ‘go
away,’ but we do not respond un¬
less we are called by the R.D.s on
duty.”
But the students who live in the
room where the party occurred
claim that the response of Public
Safety and LAPD was overblown.
“We did what we could. We kicked
everybody out, but they were just
standing around, ” said Junior Kevin
Leakes.
According to a statement re¬
leased by the three students in¬
volved, the reason trouble started
was that when the party was being
broken up someone went to a mi¬
crophone and said, “The whites said
we gotta leave, 'cause there’s too
many niggers in one place.”
After this, the guests were cleared
out. “Once the door was locked, our
responsibility was over. Anything
that took place later was out of our
hands,” said the statement.
A report by the R.D.s said that
they received a call while they were
in Loyola Apartments. They re¬
sponded to Hannon and found a
large post-game party which did
continued on
раде
fifteen
Speaker to Bring Message of
Safer Sex in Dangerous Age
By Ray Watts
News Editor
Boyola Marymount University
will host actress/producer/
director Suzl Landolphi as she
brings her presentation advocating
safe sex and AIDS education to St.
Robert’s Auditorium Jan. 31 at 7
p.m.
Landolphi has traveled around
the country with her presentation,
which is a mixture of stand-up
comedy and dramatic techniques.
Her routine, “Hot, Sexy and Safer”,
is audience participatory and is
aimed at high school and college
students to evoke a change in their
attitudes towards sex.
Dave Berry, coordinator of
Landolphi’s address, commented,
“We feel that the students need to
hear as many sides of the issues of
AIDS, safer sex and awareness as
possible.”
“We want to constructively give
an educational opportunity to
challenge the views and ideas that
people might have, that they might
give the issues more in-depth
thought,” Berry said.
Interfraternity Council President
Jeff Sun believes Landolphi’s pre¬
sentation will help facilitate students
in discussions of sexual issues. “I’m
a resident advisor and whenever I
try to organize some kind of dis¬
cussion on AIDS, safe sex or ac¬
quaintance rape, people just avoid
it; they just blow it eff thinking it
continued on
раде
four
