LOS ANGELES – Attorneys representing Los Angeles County and two Sheriff’s deputies won a round in court Tuesday when a judge granted a defense motion and ordered rapper Lebron to undergo an independent mental exam as part of his lawsuit alleging deputies threatened to shoot and kill him in 2022 as he sat alone in his car in Gardena.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas D. Long said the evaluation of rapper Lebron will be limited to the mental and/or emotional conditions “placed in controversy by plaintiff in this litigation” and cannot delve into his “irrelevant sexual relations or marital history.”
County attorneys wanted the mental evaluation conducted because Lebron maintains he suffered emotional distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder. But in their court papers, Lebron’s lawyers contended that the proposed scope of the exam was too broad.
The mental health expert chosen by the county proposes to ask Lebron 530 questions about his personality and any personality disorders he may suffer from, but does not plan to administer standard tests used to measure the very symptoms the rapper reports, the singer’s attorneys further contended in their court papers.
According to Lebron’s lawsuit, on Dec. 31, 2022, the entertainer was in his car in a parking lot on Crenshaw Boulevard waiting to meet a friend, listening to music and live streaming to his fans on Instagram when deputies arrived and lit up his car with a flashlight. One deputy opened the driver’s side door, grabbed Lebron — whose real name is Darral Scott — by the arm and tried to pull him out, the lawsuit states.
Moments later, a second deputy walked up, pulled out a canister of pepper spray and said he was going to spray the rapper, the suit states. The same deputy pointed a gun at Lebron’s chest even though the rapper had raised his hands, told the plaintiff, “Move your hands from right there and you’re done,” the suit states.
Lebron was later taken out of his car, handcuffed and detained for about 30 minutes while deputies searched the vehicle, then subsequently released him with a citation for a missing front license plate, the suit states. In their previous court papers, county attorneys deny Lebron’s allegations and say the county has immunity from the causes of action.
