By Jon Sarche, Associated Press
September 8, 2004

Attorneys for the woman accusing Kobe Bryant of rape went on a public-relations offensive Tuesday, appearing on network television to bolster her public image and dispel speculation that a settlement is in the works in her civil lawsuit against the NBA star.

"We fully expect that case to be aggressively litigated," attorney John Clune said on the CBS Early Show.

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The criminal case against Bryant was dropped last week, but the civil suit seeking an unspecified dollar amount is pending in Denver federal court. In separate television appearances, Clune and attorney Lin Wood said the civil case is a strong one.

In those appearances, Clune and Wood also said there have been no talks about settling the civil case since the felony sexual assault charge was dropped.

Wood, on NBC's Today Show, and Clune said their client is a normal woman caught up in abnormal circumstances.

"She made some mistakes," Wood said. "This young girl was a true victim, and (the public) will feel very sorry for what she had to go through and what her family went through over the last year and will have to put up (with) for the rest of her life. It's a real tragedy."

Denver attorney Larry Pozner, a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said Clune and Wood are unlikely to be able to put additional pressure on Bryant in the civil case.

"(The plaintiff has) the same leverage as in every other civil case: Is it worth your time, money and brain damage to continue in the civil case?" Pozner said. "For a guy like Kobe Bryant, who has enough money and other things to occupy his time, there is some number he pays just to make it go away, just to have peace of mind."

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