LOS ANGELES : Spike Lee Fails to Get Ruling on King Videotape

Despite his claims that a pending legal effort has “paralyzed” him and is jeopardizing the Nov. 20 release of his controversial film, “Malcolm X,” director Spike Lee failed Tuesday to get a quick decision on whether he is entitled to include videotaped footage of the March, 1991, beating of Rodney G. King.

U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter denied Lee’s motion for an expedited hearing and is scheduled to consider the issue on Oct. 13. The filmmaker argued that waiting that long will do “irreparable harm” to promotion and distribution efforts.

In court documents, Lee maintained that George Holliday, the plumber who taped the beating, is trying to pressure him into paying more than the $50,000 sum the two sides agreed on last spring.

The documents came in response to a lawsuit Holliday filed Sept. 10 accusing Lee of copyright infringement and seeking to enjoin Warner Bros. from releasing the film with the King footage. Holliday contends that Lee knowingly made a licensing agreement with parties who had no authority to grant him use of the tape.