Posted on 07/10/2004 5:53:21 AM PDT by Hawk44
DENVER (Reuters) - Allowing television cameras into the rape trial of basketball star Kobe Bryant (news) would destroy the remaining dignity of both accused and accuser, his attorneys said in a filing made public on Friday.
The trial of the 25-year-old Los Angeles Laker is scheduled to begin in Eagle, Colorado, on Aug. 27 with jury selection.
Media attention has been intense since a woman hotel staffer in the Vail area accused Bryant of having raped her when he was a guest in the hotel. Bryant denies her account, saying the incident on June 30 last year involved consensual sex.
Pretrial hearings on whether the woman's sexual history will be admitted at trial to cast doubt on her credibility and stability have been held behind closed doors because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Media outlets last month asked the presiding judge, Terry Ruckriegle, to allow still and television cameras as well as audio recording at the trial.
But defense lawyers objected. "Neither the defendant nor the complaining witness will retain a shred of dignity or privacy if these details are televised to the world," they said.
The defense also said witnesses may be more reluctant to testify candidly about sexual acts and human anatomy if a television camera was focused on them.
Prosecutors and attorneys for the woman have also asked the judge to ban cameras from the courtroom.
I would like to see this on TV...to see the evidence. As far as I know she hasn't filed a civil suit against Bryant. So the gold digging at this point is uncertain. Does she have a checkered past? Yes, she does. So does Mr. Bryant. That doesn't mean that she, like Kobe, shouldn't have access to a fair legal trial. The fact that he cheated on his wife, who had just had their daughter, makes me think less of him. There are no role models in this case.
I want to see it on TV,too. Hope that rapist goes to jail.
Ah,.......but,......'ESPN' (T.V.) will be allowed to 'cover'....the whole thing for the benifit of other 'players'.
/sarcasm
Why did she hire a tort lawyer?
we the people = CTV & Friends = Ratings
uh...guess you haven't been following...
she has hired famed Ramsey attorney Lin Wood who is a specialist in libel and media issues, and since the accidental" release of her entire medical record to the media by the court, I expect him to be very busy protecting her rights...
I expect after all this is done, she will sue not only Bryant, but the Colorado court system as well, let alone the many people that have threatened her, besides the ones already in jail for that...
don't be one of those...
How 'bout no live coverage and a 72 hour embargo on any video of court events...
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