Rocky Mountain News: Local

Rocky Mountain News

To print this page, select File then Print from your browser

URL: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3115755,00.html

Matsch weighs bid for secrecy

By Rocky Mountain News
August 17, 2004

Colorado U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch ordered lawyers for news organizations and the woman who has accused Kobe Bryant of rape to file written arguments over whether a motion to keep the woman's name secret in federal court should be unsealed.

Matsch said in an order issued Monday that he is leaning toward unsealing the woman's request to be identified only as "Jane Doe" in her federal civil lawsuit against Bryant.

Advertisement

The woman's lawyers filed that request when they filed her civil suit against Bryant on Aug. 10. The Rocky Mountain News and 10 other news organizations asked Matsch on Friday to unseal the request to remain anonymous. The news organizations said they cannot decide whether to oppose the woman's request for anonymity without reviewing the reasons for it that her lawyers presented in the sealed request.

Matsch said he had reviewed the woman's sealed request to remain anonymous and supporting documents filed by her lawyers, and that his "preliminary view" was that only one of the documents, which reveals her name, should remain sealed.