Wednesday, September 1, 2004
Kobe Bryant's legal drama may soon be over.
ABC News is reporting Wednesday afternoon that the prosecution in the Bryant case will ask the judge later in the day to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the case cannot ever be brought back for trial. According to the report, the accuser has told prosecutors she is no longer willing to testify.
Prosecution spokeswoman Krista Flannigan said a news conference has been scheduled for 7 p.m. ET with Eagle County district attorney Mark Hurlbert.
NBC News was reporting that the request for dismissal would be without prejudice, meaning a future trial would be possible. ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack, however, told ESPNews that it would be unlikely for a judge to grant that request after more than a year of pre-trial hearings and the start of jury selection.
Even if the criminal charges are dropped, Bryant still faces a civil suit that was filed by his accuser earlier this summer.
The news of the case's possible end comes on the heels of Bryant's defense attorneys filing for dismissal earlier Wednesday, saying prosecutors have refused to turn over details that could suggest he is innocent.
Court rules require prosecutors and defense attorneys to exchange evidence and witness opinions before trial, a process called discovery.
In a motion made public Wednesday, defense attorneys said a forensics expert whom prosecutors had planned to call as a witness had information that "undermined the accuser's allegations and the prosecution's case, and corroborated Mr. Bryant's defense on a central issue -- the cause and significance of the accuser's alleged injuries."
The filing said those opinions were not disclosed to the defense until they contacted the expert Friday, despite repeated requests to prosecutors for the information.
"A person's life and liberty are at stake," the defense attorneys wrote. "The game of hide-the-ball, find-it-if-you-can discovery is intolerable. This court must vindicate Mr. Bryant's constitutional rights and impose meaningful sanctions against the prosecution."
Prosecutors have said they have turned over all information they were required to.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Kobe Bryant's legal drama may soon be over.
ABC News is reporting Wednesday afternoon that the prosecution in the Bryant case will ask the judge later in the day to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the case cannot ever be brought back for trial. According to the report, the accuser has told prosecutors she is no longer willing to testify.
Prosecution spokeswoman Krista Flannigan said a news conference has been scheduled for 7 p.m. ET with Eagle County district attorney Mark Hurlbert.
NBC News was reporting that the request for dismissal would be without prejudice, meaning a future trial would be possible. ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack, however, told ESPNews that it would be unlikely for a judge to grant that request after more than a year of pre-trial hearings and the start of jury selection.
Even if the criminal charges are dropped, Bryant still faces a civil suit that was filed by his accuser earlier this summer.
The news of the case's possible end comes on the heels of Bryant's defense attorneys filing for dismissal earlier Wednesday, saying prosecutors have refused to turn over details that could suggest he is innocent.
Court rules require prosecutors and defense attorneys to exchange evidence and witness opinions before trial, a process called discovery.
In a motion made public Wednesday, defense attorneys said a forensics expert whom prosecutors had planned to call as a witness had information that "undermined the accuser's allegations and the prosecution's case, and corroborated Mr. Bryant's defense on a central issue -- the cause and significance of the accuser's alleged injuries."
The filing said those opinions were not disclosed to the defense until they contacted the expert Friday, despite repeated requests to prosecutors for the information.
"A person's life and liberty are at stake," the defense attorneys wrote. "The game of hide-the-ball, find-it-if-you-can discovery is intolerable. This court must vindicate Mr. Bryant's constitutional rights and impose meaningful sanctions against the prosecution."
Prosecutors have said they have turned over all information they were required to.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
