Attorney for Bryant's accuser asks judge to end Web leaks

The attorney said information about the case is putting his client in danger.
EAGLE, Colo. (AP) -- The attorney for the woman accusing Kobe Bryant of rape urged the judge Monday to stop posting court filings and other case details on the Web, saying it has put his client in danger.
The practice has prompted the 20-year-old woman at least twice to consider ending her participation in the case, "when somebody who was sworn to protect her made mistakes," attorney John Clune said.
District Judge Terry Ruckriegle did not rule on Clune's request to stop using electronic media to distribute information in the case. The arguments came during the first of three hearings scheduled before Bryant's trial begins Aug. 27.
As the woman's parents and Bryant looked on, Clune said the accidental posting of her name on a state court Web site drew death threats last fall, and the accidental e-mail release of transcripts from a closed-door hearing could cause her "immeasurable" harm if published.
Hospital gave out details
Clune also noted the hospital where the woman was examined accidentally gave attorneys for both sides too many details about her health. He said he believes all the releases were inadvertent, but they have caused lasting harm to her and her family.
"If they don't trust the system, it undermines their desire to go forward," he said. "She and her family are under the perception that the court won't protect her. That fundamental lack of faith and trust is really the most damaging and lasting effect."
The defense asked the judge to reject the motion. Defense attorney Hal Haddon said it appeared Clune was trying to influence the judge's pending decision on whether the woman's sex life can be used against her at trial.
"It's a transparent and truly outrageous attempt to influence this court on a matter that's critical to Mr. Bryant's rights," Haddon said.
Bryant, 25, has pleaded not guilty to felony sexual assault. He has said he had consensual sex with the woman at the Vail-area resort where she worked last summer. If convicted, he faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and a fine up to $750,000.
Decided most issues
Ruckriegle has already decided most major issues in the case, but he has not ruled whether the woman's sex life can be admitted as evidence. The defense wants to argue to the jury that injuries found on the woman could have been caused by sex with someone else in the days surrounding her encounter with Bryant.
Prosecutors and Clune say the woman's sex life is irrelevant to the question of whether she consented to sex with Bryant. Ruckriegle could issue that ruling within the week, said state courts spokeswoman Karen Salaz.
Closed-door arguments were held Monday on whether cell-phone messages sent and received by the alleged victim in the hours after her encounter with Bryant, along with money she received from the state crime victims' compensation program, can be used as evidence. The defense has suggested she received an unusually large amount of money as an incentive to continue participating in the case.
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