Gathers Trial Set to Begin Feb. 24 in Torrance

Over objections by Paul Westhead that his work schedule as coach of the Denver Nuggets will make attendance a hardship, Judge Gary Hastings on Thursday set a beginning date of Feb. 24 for the trial in the multimillion-dollar suits arising from the death of Hank Gathers.

The trial, which is expected to last at least six weeks, will be heard by Hastings in Superior Court in Torrance.

Gathers, a star basketball player at Loyola Marymount University, collapsed and later died while playing in a postseason tournament game on March 4, 1990.

An autopsy determined that Gathers died of a heart disorder. Members of his family and his estate then filed two suits, claiming negligence by 14 defendants, among them Loyola, former coach Westhead and the doctors who treated Gathers.

Most of the parties involved will attend a third voluntary settlement conference today. If the case cannot be settled, attorneys will begin taking pretrial expert testimony. Some of the 65 designated experts work in basketball-related professions and will be in the midst of the season, as will Westhead.

Westhead, however, through his Philadelphia attorney Richie Phillips, has said he will not be represented in settlement negotiations and refuses to settle. That could complicate efforts today, although the 14 defendants do not have to settle as a unit. The estate case, for example, could be settled apart from Lucille Gathers’ claims.

In a story in Thursday’s editions, Bo Kimble was reported as having given a portion of his rights fee to Gathers’ mother, Lucille, from a made-for-television film, “The Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story,” which will be shown in March. The $75,000 fee was split among Kimble, Lucille Gathers and Gathers’ son, Aaron Crump.

David Spencer, who represents Kimble, said that Kimble gave his entire share of that fee to Lucille Gathers.