RODNEY KING . . . A TAXPAYER BEATING?

Rodney King was awarded $3.8 million in damages for his 1991 beating by Los Angeles police, but now his lawyers want even more. The victorious King is entitled to recoup his legal expenses, but his attorneys got a laugh from a federal judge yesterday when they tried to justify a proposed $4.4 million fee. Among the expenses: reimbursement for shuttling King to gigs on "Oprah" and "Larry King Live" -- and for chief lawyer Steven Lerman's commute to work. "Why are two hours of Mr. King's birthday party compensable?" U.S. District Judge John G. Davies asked. Replied Lerman: "The time of Mr. King's birthday party was spent discussing his cake discussing his case."