Doctor says no brain damage suffered by woman suing police

A UCLA neuropsychologist testified Tuesday in federal court that Brenda Nadell suffered "no brain damage" as a result of a July 1994 encounter with three Metro Police officers.

Dr. Tony Strickland, associate professor of psychology at the UCLA School of Medicine, who testified for the defense, also told the court that Nadell suffered from "pre-existing personality disorder" -- that is, anxiety and depression.

"The evidence is overwhelmingly clear that no brain damage occurred," said Strickland, who conducted a series of 26 psychological tests on Nadell in 1996.

Nadell is suing the three officers, Steven Leyba, Greg Ziel and Michael Etherton, over alleged civil rights violations stemming from her July 22, 1994, arrest at 5464 Consul Ave.

U.S. District Judge Philip Pro said he believes the case will go to the six-person jury on Thursday following a morning of closing arguments.

Strickland's testimony, under defense attorney Brian Whitaker, was intended to rebuff prior testimony by the plaintiff's doctors that indicated serious psychological as well as physical injuries were suffered by Nadell as a result of the alleged beating and arrest by the officers.

Attorney Hugh Davis, representing Nadell, during cross-examination attempted to show that Strickland used only parts of the tests that favored the defendants who had hired him and that he ignored other testing methods that would support Nadell's claims.

But Strickland stuck to his earlier testimony, saying: "There absolutely is no evidence the patient sustained brain damage." He maintained that he used the latest and most reliable tests available to reach his conclusions.

In earlier testimony, Nadell said she had been drinking alcohol the night of the incident at the home of a man who was interviewing her sister, Crystal Guerra, then 19, for a baby-sitting job. Nadell, then 27, went to sleep in a bedroom after drinking too much.

Police later were called to the home after the owner and his wife got into an argument.

Nadell testified that she was called a profane name by Leyba, pulled out of bed half-dressed, hit between her legs and arrested.

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