By Peggy Lowe, Rocky Mountain News
July 29, 2004

Chalk up another high-tech mistake by the Eagle County Court in the Kobe Bryant case.

On Wednesday, a sealed order signed by Judge Terry Ruckriegle was posted on the Colorado judiciary's Web site and used the last name of the alleged victim. It's the second time the 20-year-old Eagle woman's name has inadvertently been published on the site.

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The mishap also follows a still-not-settled controversy surrounding the e-mailed release to the media of a transcript dealing with her sexual history.

Last week, the alleged victim's attorney, John Clune, urged the court to take down the Web site, saying the accidental postings are the only times the woman has considering not going forward with charges against Bryant.

Clune wouldn't comment Wednesday about his client's resolve to continue, but questioned whether the court can protect her privacy.

"It is inconceivable how this court can explain its continual pattern of revictimizing this 20-year-old girl," Clune said in a written statement to The Associated Press. "This judge must learn that the trust that a victim places in the judiciary is the foundation for the courage that all victims must have to endure the brutal nature of rape prosecutions."

The error was made because a new procedure made to assist with research failed and a critical safeguard wasn't used, said Karen Salaz, a spokeswoman for the Office of the State Court Administrator.

A clerk was told a document was ready for posting, then selected the wrong document from a shared computer folder, Salaz said.

"The court administrator intends to apologize to the alleged victim and her family and is considering what action may be appropriate for the staff," Salaz said.

Victims' rights groups said this latest gaffe lends credence to the request to shut down the site, used by the media and others to view a year's worth of case documents.

"We feel these are just accidents - horrific accidents, but accidents nonetheless," said Cynthia Stone of the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault. "We're seeing a problem in how the system isn't working. This technological system isn't working."

The Web site, which posted the document for more than a half hour, was shut down for several hours to remove the document.

"This is another mistake at the worst possible time in this case," said Craig Silverman, a Denver lawyer observing the case. "It creates another headache for Judge Ruckriegle who must, by now, be suffering from a migraine."

lowep@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5482

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