The Denver Post
Kobe Bryant's accuser hires high-profile Atlanta lawyer
Friday, July 09, 2004 -
Famed Atlanta lawyer Lin Wood, who sued various media companies for erroneously naming Richard Jewell as a suspect in the 1996 bombing at the Atlanta Olympics, has been hired by Kobe Bryant's accuser.
John Clune, the alleged victim's Colorado lawyer, says Wood has been added to the legal team "to address growing concerns regarding media coverage of our client, her privacy rights and potential litigation related to those and other concerns." The now-20-year-old woman says she was raped by Bryant in his Edwards hotel room on June 30, 2003. Bryant said the actions were consensual. The trial is scheduled for Aug. 27. Wood also represents John and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of JonBenét Ramsey, who was found murdered in the couple's Boulder home in December 1996. The announcement Thursday came as The Denver Post and several other media outlets are asking the Colorado Supreme Court to let them publish transcripts of a closed rape-shield hearing mistakenly sent to them by a court reporter. Karen Steinhauser, a former prosecutor who is now a professor at the University of Denver School of Law, said the woman's legal team is saying that the transcripts should not be published. "I think with this move she is sending a message that if you make the decision to embarrass me I will take legal action," Steinhauser said. "There is no public right to know (what happened in the rape-shield hearing) and it could cause her embarrassment and be a total invasion of her privacy."
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archive of court documents in the People v. Bryant case.
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Denver Post's graphic on the events of June 30.
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Steven Zansberg, who represents The Denver Post and the other media outlets, called Wood an "able advocate." Zansberg said Wood's hiring may be an attempt to intimidate the media. But he said the media won't be frightened. Others applauded the move. Krista Flannigan, spokeswoman for District Attorney Mark Hurlbert, said the addition of Wood may bolster the accuser's self-confidence. "Any additional support will certainly benefit, or we certainly hope will benefit her," Flannigan said. "That is what John Clune's goal is." Cynthia Stone, media coordinator for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said she saw the hiring of Wood as a "good move" because of the potential publication of the rape-shield transcripts. "We see the information that could be in those transcripts as a totally unnecessary invasion of the young woman's privacy and a total circumvention of our rape-shield law to help protect the privacy of victims of sexual assault," Stone said. Part of Wood's job representing the Ramseys has included a defamation and libel suit against former Boulder detective Steve Thomas, author of the book "JonBenét: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation." In August 2002, Wood said the suit had been settled in favor of the Ramseys and that they were pleased with the settlement. The undisclosed settlement also involved the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and co-author Don Davis. |