Hearing to focus on Bryant accuser's history
 |
Kobe Bryant says he had consensual sex with his accuser.
Story Tools
SPECIAL REPORT
|
|
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
|
Follow the news that matters to you. Create your own alert to be notified on topics you're interested in.
Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions.
|
|
(CNN) -- A Friday hearing in Colorado will focus on whether the medical records and sexual history of the woman who accused NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of sexual assault should be admitted as evidence in the trial.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. (11 a.m. ET) in Eagle, Colorado. The courtroom arguments about the woman's medical privacy will be closed to the public.
Bryant's attorneys have filed court documents that allege there is evidence his accuser had sex with another man within 18 hours after she said she was raped by Bryant.
The documents also allege the woman had sex with another man in the days before the alleged crime.
Craig Silverman, a Colorado defense attorney who has been following the case, said that if the evidence is allowed to be presented, it could complicate the prosecution's case.
"If [the defense] could establish that she had sex between the Kobe Bryant encounter and going to the sheriff's department with another man, ... I would have to believe this case is over," Silverman said.
Bryant's attorneys also have requested the medical history of the alleged victim, saying it was vital to the case. Prosecutors oppose admitting the records as evidence. (Full story)
Judge Terry Ruckriegle said in an Associated Press report earlier this week that evidence and testimony likely to be presented during the hearing would bring up embarrassing information that would be disseminated around the world due to the intense media interest in the case.
An attorney representing several media organizations, including CNN, said his clients had not yet determined whether to file a petition with the state Supreme Court to review the ruling, according to the AP.
Bryant, 25, a guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation if convicted of sexual assault.
He said he had consensual sex with the woman, a former employee of a mountain resort where he stayed June 30. He is married and the father of an infant daughter.
Parts of Friday's hearing are expected to remain open.
The judge is expected to hear arguments on whether the records of a rape crisis center should remain private. An employee with the center sat in during a police interview of the woman.
The judge also is expected to hear arguments over the defense's role in evidence testing and a report from prosecutors about who ordered or received T-shirts mocking Bryant as a "cheater."
The case is not expected to go to trial until this spring.
CNN's Gary Tuchman contributed to this report.
