October 8, 2004

NO HIDING NOW

Denver U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch wasted no time in ruling that the woman suing Kobe Bryant for damages in an alleged rape case can't hide behind the name "Jane Doe."

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He was right, of course. The judge in the criminal case determined that anonymity was appropriate only until the trial started.

But anonymity in civil cases is and should be rarely granted. In this case, the woman's name is already well known in her community and readily accessible on the Internet.

And besides, she's the plaintiff, not the defendant. She chose to bring the suit - even though she apparently thought better of proceeding with the criminal trial, which had to be abandoned.

Moreover, she is seeking a lot of money from a defendant who hasn't been convicted of a crime but must bear the stigma of the civil charges. Courts can't play favorites by granting just one party anonymity.

Court proceedings should be open, and openness includes the identification of all participants.

LIVES AT RISK

When politicians denounce pharmaceutical companies, it's usually a sop to the growing number of Americans who apparently believe health care should be equivalent to a free lunch - or at worst a meal at the nearest fast-food eatery. But every now and then a drug company does do something reprehensible, the latest example being the fiasco involving unusable flu vaccine. Chiron Corp.'s shoddy manufacturing practices, spotted by British regulators, has now put thousands of lives at risk and is yet another reminder that the market for vaccines is malfunctioning.

- Rocky Mountain News

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