By Karen Abbott, Rocky Mountain News
October 14, 2004

Katelyn Faber re-filed her sexual assault lawsuit against Kobe Bryant in federal court Thursday, using her real name.

The lawsuit is virtually identical in every other respect to the one she filed Aug. 10 as "Jane Doe."

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Lawyers for the 21-year-old Eagle woman had asked Colorado U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch to let her remain anonymous. They said she had received death threats following her highly-publicized claim that she was sexually assaulted by the Los Angeles Lakers basketball star.

But Matsch, after Bryant’s attorneys and the Rocky Mountain News objected separately, ruled that Faber’s lawsuit would be retitled on Oct. 20 to insert her name. The judge said that public confidence depends on courts being as open as possible and that the two parties in the suit have to proceed on an equal footing.

Rather than waiting for the court to insert her name, Faber filed her own amended lawsuit Thursday.

Faber’s attorney, Lin Wood of Atlanta, said Faber was prepared to be named in the lawsuit from the beginning, when it was filed in August.

"This is a very remarkable young lady," Wood said. "Under the circumstances, she’s doing well. I don’t think the disclosure of her name is viewed as - I don’t want to say it’s a non-event, but it was not an unexpected event."

Faber has accused Bryant of raping her in the summer of 2003 at an Eagle County resort hotel where she worked and he was a guest.

Bryant, who is married, has admitted having sex with Faber but insisted it was consensual.

State criminal charges were filed against Bryant in Eagle County, but dismissed last month during jury selection when Faber said she would not proceed as a witness.

Faber’s name has been available on the Internet and has appeared in some publications, although the Rocky Mountain News and other mainstream news organizations had not published it prior to Thursday’s filing because she was an alleged sexual assault victim in a criminal case.

"Until now, the News has exercised its editorial judgment and has not named Bryant’s accuser despite the fact that her name was widely known. But today we are naming her, after she made the decision Thursday to re-file her lawsuit in her own name seeking money damages against Bryant," News Editor John Temple said.

"She had the choice not to go forward after Judge Matsch said she couldn’t proceed anonymously. As a general rule, the News names plaintiffs in civil lawsuits. Here, both sides’ personal integrity and credibility are at issue and the News believes fairness requires that both parties be named in reporting on this civil lawsuit."

The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault is disappointed that Faber was not allowed to sue Bryant under the ‘Jane Doe’ name, said spokeswoman Cynthia Stone.

"We believe that it should be a victim’s choice as to whether or not they make their name public," Stone said.

"One of our major concerns about this judge’s ruling is that the mainstream journalistic media would feel that this has opened the door for them to publish her name, which they have not previously," Stone said. "We have urged the journalistic media to not publish her name."

Copyright 2004, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.