DATE: Friday, October 3, 1997               TAG: 9710030666

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: STAFF AND WIRE REPORT 
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS                      LENGTH:   57 lines

RACIAL BIAS AGAINST CRUMPLER UNPROVEN, A FEDERAL JURY FINDS

A federal jury concluded Thursday that a former tenant of Bob Crumpler's trailer park in James City County failed to prove claims of racial discrimination against the embattled businessman.

On Wednesday, the 10-member jury had found that the other four plaintiffs in the case - two black tenants and two white former managers - also failed to prove discrimination.

But the federal jury's decision apparently will have little or no impact on another battle: Nissan Motor Corp.'s fight to distance itself from Crumpler. A series of state Department of Motor Vehicles hearings, which will help determine whether Crumpler can keep his Newport News auto dealership, concluded last month.

During the hearings, Nissan attorney James Mollica tried to show that Crumpler violated his contract with the auto manufacturer by making false warranty claims, refusing to serve customers and behaving so poorly that Nissan's own reputation was sullied.

``The fact that he may or may not have violated somebody's legal rights is beside the point,'' Mollica said. ``Whatever happened in this (federal) case is not evidence in our case.''

Bill Lehner, an attorney representing Crumpler in the state hearings, said he would mention the jury's decision in his final briefs to the state hearing officer.

But he acknowledged that he didn't know whether the federal case would have any influence, ``because it's not evidence in this case, per se.''

Hearing officer Ann Sullivan declined to comment on the federal case's impact.

Sullivan will be making her recommendations to the DMV's commissioner, who in turn will make his own decision. Lehner said he did not expect to hear from the DMV until after Jan. 1, 1998.

Last year, a manager of the mobile home park secretly recorded Crumpler using a racial slur. After the videotape became public, Nissan Motors sought to revoke the franchise of Crumpler's Newport News dealership.

Thursday's decision stems from a complaint brought by Kathy Lasha, a tenant at Crumpler's Country Village Mobile Home Park.

Leonard Bennett, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said they were disappointed at the verdicts but not surprised.

``It doesn't mean he does not discriminate. And this is not a referendum on whether he was right or wrong,'' Bennett said.

He said a number of other Country Village tenants and former tenants have filed fair housing and other claims against Crumpler. Trial dates in those cases have not been set.

Crumpler said he felt good about the verdict.

``I hope now to put this all to rest. I'm ready to get on with my life and go to work,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Bob Crumpler is still involved in a battle with Nissan Motor Corp.,

which is trying to cut its ties to the auto dealer. KEYWORDS: HEARING RACIAL DISCRIMINATION VERDICT

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