Oh, and as far as the civil case goes, she could still be in real trouble. Sure, Kobe won’t have the right to remain silent in a civil trial, but her sexual history will be in. ALL of it. From the guy she lost her virginity with to the guy she met last week.
She & Kobe will settle for a big check.
Lessons for all!
Kobe, in case you weren’t around for the press conference, Magic Johnson contracted HIV from doing exactly what you are doing. Morality aside, there’s a health issue here and fucking someone you met 25 seconds ago is wrought with danger. You’ve got STDs, psychotic women, unintended pregnancies with women who may not be fit to raise guinea pigs let alone your child, and obsessed fans who will sell their stories to the tabloids if it’ll earn them a buck. If you simply cannot control where your penis goes, then at least be honest with your wife about your extramarital activities so that she can decide whether your paycheck is worth her fidelity.
To the Alleged Victim: If Kobe Bryant indeed raped you, you have my sympathies. Getting a conviction in the best of circumstances. Let me just advise you not to enter hotel rooms with strange men at any time, and this includes celebrities. Assholes come in every job.
If Bryant did not rape you and you are crying wolf, I hope your genitalia rots off.
To the Prosecutors: How many millions of dollars and how many of your resources did you waste chasing this case? Most of the experts interviewed have said your case was extremely weak. If you pursued this case for any other reason than because you wanted to see justice done (e.g. because you enjoyed the media exposure), then shame on you.
If she made the whole thing up, she deserves to be charged with falsifying police reports and possibly perjury if she’s been deposed under oath.
Also, her name should be publicized. She should carry around some of the stigma that a person who has been falsely accused of rape will carry for the rest of his life too. The only reason I’m not putting her name here is that I think the mods would punish me for it.
Since she is apparently nothing but a money-grubbing twat (who now apparently wants a civil case $$$ more than she wants her ‘attacker’ to go to jail), her name oughta be attached to that fact.
I really, really hope his lawyers let this go to court and they shred the twat.
There is zero evidence that she is only a “money-grubbing twat”, and no one but Kobe and the woman will ever know the truth. And it’s possible that neither of them is really clear on the truth - there are certainly such things as mixed signals. Kobe is innocent until proven guilty, and she’s honest until proven otherwise. By all accounts, the case was dropped for myriad reasons; the official one that it was dropped under just seemed the less damaging to everyone all around.
Oh bullshit. She’s out schtupping guys left and right after supposedly getting raped, and then she refuses to testify in the criminal trial so that she’s got a better shot to win the civil suit?
Money. Grubbing. Lying. Twat.
A woman goes to the police and states she was raped. She has physical injuries to her vagina consistent with being raped. She has blood on her underwear and her blood is found on the alleged defendant’s t-shirt. The alleged defendant admits to having sex with her, but she says it wasn’t consensual. There was physical evidence of abuse, including lacerations and bruising.
WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU GET OFF TELLING THE PROSECUTION THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE CHARGED THE CASE!!! The victim has consistently stated she was raped and there’s physical evidence to support that. And you dumbfucks expect the prosecution to refuse to file charges. That’s just fucking lovely. So any woman who claims rape should have to have a videotape and confession before she can expect any measure of justice? Thank god you two aren’t prosecutors, and I hope to god you never sit on a jury.
Hey, Lisa, I got this bridge for sale. . .a real beauty. . .
Actually, there isn’t this “physical evidence” that you speak of. The “physical evidence” that was gathered proved that there was a sexual relation with ANOTHER FUCKING MAN after the supposed Bryant rape. In fact, the “physical evidence” was so weak that the prosecution’s expert would have reportedly strengthened Bryant’s case. On top of all that, Kobe has a right to face his fucking accuser and if she declines to testify, there can be no case.
I really hope you never serve on a jury, Hamlet. Those who make judgements based on emotional reactions to victims and the alleged crimes perpetrated against them aren’t fit to do so.
Sam
You do a bit of investigating before you file the charges, just to make sure you’re getting the full picture and not just one person’s story. The physical evidence was enough to start an investigation, sure - but it didn’t lead to charges that would hold up, and the charges shouldn’t have been filed once that realization was reached.
How much could Bryant’s civil-case lawyers charge him to say “Your honor, the plaintiff ain’t got shit, move to dismiss”? What would be the basis for saying he should pay anything at all?
I thought the only place they found Mr. X’s DNA was on the panties she put on after she got home? And that the sperm found there was consistent with having been washed a few times?
Is there another source of information I should be reading?
I sure hope my consensual encounters don’t involve my blood on his shirt.
I’m gonna surprise myself and side with Hamlet on this one. Partially. Absolutely there was enough evidence to arrest and charge Bryant. But the weaknesses in the case have been becoming more obvious by the day, and it should have been dropped long before jury selection began.
Because this is civil law. Not only is the court’s time valuable, but a good civil lawyer’s fees are exorbanent. Kobe will settle on this case out of court. It will be so much cheaper to do so. He could probably spend more than a few hundred K on this case and his dirty laundry will be all over the news-again and in more detail. Or, he can pay her a few bills with the condition that a gag order be in place, and she can go away and the Kobe Bryant movie of the week will stay on the shelf.
Otherwise, it opens him and his reputation up for a whole mess of shit. That motion to dismiss based on “the plaintiff ain’t got shit”, could take months and years and the judge could decide to press on for discovery-in which his sex life would be revealed for all, too.
All in all, it’s faster, quicker, smarter and cheaper to settle.
Sam
Apricot, an article I read a week or two ago indicated that the semen was found on her thighs(they swab the thighs in a rape exam I believe) and in her panties. Add to that the fact that the prosecution’s expert disagreed with the prosecution, and that there was a possibility that it was consensual sex, and that infow as, in turn, witheld from the defense, it makes for an ugly case.
Sam
Take a chill pill. I never said that prosecutor shouldn’t have charged the case. I’m saying that from all accounts the evidence was extremely weak. The defense was going to have a FIELD DAY with this woman, and as a prosecutor no matter how vile the crime, you need to ask yourself if you have a reasonable chance of getting a conviction before you decide to go to trial. IF you KNOW that the victim, who was by all accounts mentally fragile, is going to have her name released to the media as it most assuredly was, IF you know she is going to have her past sexual history invaded and paraded about, IF you know that she has mental health problems, and IF you know that the defendant is well liked, famous and wealthy NBA star with no priors, THEN YOU’D DAMN WELL BETTER HAVE A STELLAR CASE.
What you DON’T do as a compassionate person, is to pursue a very weak case when you have a mentally fragile star witness and an immensely liked star defendant. You try to plead it out, to scrap up some measure of justice which will assuredly be denied the victim if you take it to trial. Does that mean a rapist might walk? Yes, it does. And that sucks. But taking it to trial and having this woman lay her pitiful life bare before the world at the hands of a ruthless defense attorney, only to then lose would be far worse.
There isn’t a tear on her vagina? There isn’t her blood on Kobe’s shirt? There isn’t bruising and lacerations on her face and body? Well, I’m sure glad to hear that, because I was concerned that the woman might have physical evidence that corroborated her statements. Thanks for clearing that up for me, champ.
My judgment wasn’t, isn’t, and will never be simply based on emotional reaction to a victim. However, your immediate discounting of her statements, and your insistence the a prosecutor must have an iron-clad case before they should go to trial sickens me.
From day one, the victim has stated she was raped. There is physical evidence that corroborates her story. She immediately reported it. She submitted herself to a rape kit, to the humiliation of having every inch of her life investigated, probed, and released to the press by defense counsel. And she has never recanted that testimony. The defense has been, from day one, a concerted effort to make her appear as a mentally unstable, money-grubbing slut who fucks anything that moves, all in an attempt to discredit her. And it’s worked like a charm, judging from the screetching harpies in this thread.
I’m not saying Kobe Bryant is guilty. I’m not saying he’s innocent. I am saying that the prosecution should not refuse to file rape charges because the victim isn’t perfect, because the accuser has a ton of celebrity and money, and because the defense counsel has succeeded in tainting the jury pool and will be allowed to get in evidence to show the victim is a slut.
It never should have been. And no half-assed apology from a star-struck judge is going to fix that.
They didn’t when they charged it, and the simple fact that the defense is allowed by the judge to smear the victim because she had sex with other men should not mean they dismiss the charge.
Ahhhh, women who may have sought mental health treatment can’t be raped. And I don’t believe any of that evidence was to be presented to the jury.
And if the defendant was a regular joe, it’d be OK to try him?
Just take a second and look at what you’re saying is most important in this case. The riches and fame of the defendant. The fact the alleged victim had sex with another man around the same time. The fact she may have at one time contemplated getting psychological help. The fact the victim has had to have her entire life thrust into the national spotlight. These are the factors that you list as most important to you.
Me, I prefer evidence. Like her saying she was raped. Like the physical evidence. Like her blood on his shirt. I’ve never met the victim, nor have I seen the text of her statements or had the ability to judge her credibility. All I’ve seen is the constant barrage of vile accusations and underhanded comments by defense counsel. None of which changes the fact that the victim has consistently insisted she was raped. Just because the man she accuses her of raping her is a successful, rich, charming man, doesn’t mean the prosecution shouldn’t go forward.
I know of a certain subset of people who engage in “rough sex” and other acts which can lead to cuts, torn vaginas and probably physical bruising. You are aware that people have different sexual appetites, likes and dislikes and that consensual sex can lead to vaginal tearing and bruising, right?
Of course, I haven’t heard of any facial bruising or lacerations in this case, but maybe I missed the allegations that claimed he beat the holy living fuck out of her. If he had put a bruise or a cut on her face, trust me, the prosecution would have dropped the rape and reduced its charges to assault.(note: just because I didn’t read it doesn’t mean it’s not true. If you have a cite, post it and I’ll go over it for my own edification)
Let it sicken you. People like you who seem to believe that every allegation levied against a person be taken as the gospel without a decent amount of investigative work into the people involved(including, obviously, the alleged perpetrator of such crimes), make me sick. In response to these fucking knee-jerk ‘we must charge someone with a crime and make a media circus out of our court system’ people, like you, make me lash out against weak fucking cases like this.
The Prosecution’s expert refutes her claim. The evidence refutes said claim as well. Evidence which you claim to have made your decision with.
The only person to screetch yet is you. Or did you forget this fucking gem?
That sounds like a screetch to me.
I’m not proclaiming his innocence, but in the face of your evidence, I’m certainly not leaning towards his guilt. FTR, I loathe basketball, the athletes who compete in the NBA, and ‘Star’ defendants.
Also, the DA in this case, whose ass is up for re-election is the one who tainted the jury pool and made this into a media joke.
Where the fuck do you glean this bit of info?
Nuh. The fact that the woman allegedly had sex with another man allegedly AFTER she had sex with Bryant. The fact that this girl may have deep psychological troubles that could influence her perspective or motivations. When one levies charges against someone of national import, one can assume that the details of their lives will become known to a larger audience than if the person if just another schmuck.
A claim of rape is not evidence. It’s an allegation. The rest of your “evidence” has been called into question by experts.
Sam
Not necessarily. The burden of proof is lower for a civil trial. People often go for civil trials because the demanding standard of proof for a criminal trial just can’t be met. Doesn’t necessarily mean they’re greedy.
Is there one iota of evidence for the assertion that she liked having her vagina torn and lacerations around her pubic area? Have you read one thing that leads you to believe there is evidence that she liked being hit in the face. According to your logic, they should never have tried OJ because some of the prosecution evidence could be explained away.
Cite And how could the prosecution go forward on any charge when the victim has stated she didn’t want to testify? I’m not going to “trust you” for that kind of idiotic assertion.
From what I’ve seen, the prosecution didn’t want, didn’t make, and didn’t partake in the media circus this case became. A woman has consistently stated she was raped, there was corroborating physical evidence. So the prosecution charged him, and were prepared to try the case. Requiring that every prosecution that goes to trial to be a slam dunk is idiotic and a slap in the face to every victim who didn’t meet your standard of proof.
Cite? If there is evidence that shows she wasn’t raped, I’d love to see it. And, before you jump on the “blame the victim” bandwagon, the fact she may or may not have had sex with another person does absolutely nothing to prove she consented to sex with Kobe Bryant.
Just take some time to work on your reading comprehension and this will go a bit easier on everyone.
That’s just fine. But shouldn’t the decision of what happened in that room be up to the jury who hears all the evidence rather than some knob with an internet connection and the ability to annoy?
Again, I’ll ask for a cite. The prosecution was the ones who asked the judge not to file the papers online.
The victim’s testimony, had she testified, isn’t evidence in your eyes? And you think her physical injuries have been “called into question?” I fear it would be fruitless to discuss this any further with you.
I’m going to take issue with this, Hamlet. The defense was going to be allowed to show that the woman had sex with other men during the immediate period before and after the sex with Bryant occured. The judge correctly decided that this fell under one of the exceptions to Colorado’s rape shield law (which I understand is regarded as one of the toughest in the country).
To wit:
The statute then goes on to lay out the procedure which must be followed for such evidence to be used. This is not an attempt to smear; this is a valid point of defense.
I would expect more respect for a judge from someone in your position.