The Denver Post
Accuser wants ID hidden in civil suit
Saturday, August 28, 2004 -
Kobe Bryant's accuser wants to sue him anonymously to protect her privacy and her safety, her attorney wrote in filings Friday.
As jury selection in the criminal sexual-assault case against the basketball star got underway, attorneys for the 20-year- old Eagle woman argued in the civil case that she fears Bryant will try to "shamelessly and publicly attack and accuse" her. The woman filed the civil case in Denver federal court this month, seeking at least $75,000 in damages from Bryant. The arguments as to why Bryant's accuser needs to remain anonymous were unsealed Friday after attorneys for the media objected to their secrecy. John Clune, the woman's attorney, said she "seeks anonymity here because she justifiably fears for her safety and reputation if her identity is made known." While Colorado law discourages the public disclosure of the name of an alleged sexual- assault victim, plaintiffs must seek permission to proceed anonymously in federal courts. "Since the filing of the criminal case, (the woman) has been the subject of death threats, the media has disseminated the most intimate details of her private life and, through inexcusable mistakes by the Eagle County court, false and/or highly prejudicial accusations about her purported sex life have been released for public consumption," Clune wrote. Attorneys for the media, meanwhile, are seeking to open sealed documents in both the civil and criminal cases, arguing that open courts ensure fair judicial processes. Clune, who represents the woman in the criminal case as well as in the civil suit, said he expects the defense to continue to drag his client through the mud through cloaked allegations in public motions and leaks to the media. She "should not be forced to be forever stigmatized by baseless allegations about her private life because of what defendant Bryant has done to her and his efforts to defend his unlawful actions," the Eagle attorney wrote. Clune obliquely referred to reports in the media that the woman purportedly had attempted suicide on at least two occasions and that she may have had numerous sex partners - including a contention by the defense that the injuries attributed to the sexual assault could have been the result of sex with "three men in three days." Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at (970) 513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com |