Rodman ordered to pay $225,000 in rape case

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Tina New, a star witness in the high-profile trial of

Eric Bechler, has been awarded $225,000 by a court-appointed arbitrator

based on her accusation that she was drugged and raped by former NBA star

Dennis Rodman in his Seashore Drive home.

New, an aspiring actress and model, filed a $10-million civil lawsuit

in August 2000, stating that she was taken against her will to Rodman’s

West Newport home on Aug. 20, 1999, where he sexually assaulted her.

According to the lawsuit “defendant Rodman was completely naked and

attempted to kiss plaintiff, . . . then grabbed plaintiff by her hips and

legs, ripped the clothing off plaintiff and began physically throwing her

around.”

No criminal charges were filed at the time because of lack of physical

evidence, officials said. According to Newport Beach police, Rodman had

denied ever meeting New when interviewed.

New’s attorney, Stephen Tornay, said he expects Rodman to reject the

arbitrator’s nonbinding decision -- which means either side has 30 days

to reject it and ask for a court trial.

A county judge had appointed Irvine lawyer Rivers J. Morrell III as

the arbitrator in the lawsuit. Morrell’s ruling was received by the court

Thursday.

Tornay said he and his client are gearing up for a trial, anticipating

Rodman’s rejection of the arbitrator’s ruling. If Rodman rejects the

decision before the deadline, a trial date would probably be set for

early next year, he said.

“We’re not going to reject its award,” Tornay said. “It is on the

lower side. But I believe if this goes to a jury and they hear our

evidence, the award will be significantly more.”

Neither Rodman nor his attorney, Thomas Sears, were available for

comment Friday.

New was the prime witness in the Bechler trial and her testimony

convinced an Orange County jury to convict Bechler, a Newport Beach man

accused of murdering his wife at sea.

New, who was Bechler’s former girlfriend, told the jury that after a

night of partying and doing drugs, Bechler told her that he bludgeoned

his wife and dumped her body in the ocean. New had also helped detectives

record conversations with Bechler, in which he admitted to the crime. The

surreptitious recordings led to Bechler’s arrest.

This civil lawsuit was also an issue during the Bechler trial when

defense attorney John Barnett tried to convince the jury that New was

attracted to “bad boys” such as Rodman who lived life on the edge.

Tornay said New had suffered physically and emotionally because of the

incident.

“She suffered moderate bruising, and we have photographs of that,” he

said. “But mostly, it was the emotional distress -- that was very

severe.”

* Deepa Bharath covers cops and courts. She may be reached at (949)

574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.