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[Guileless]

As reported by SI:

And now for what may be the strangest twist of all in the tortured relationship between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. According to an exclusive report in this week’s Sports Illustrated, prosecutors plan to subpoena a 22-year-old Florida waitress who claims she was the object of unwanted sexual advances by Bryant at a party at O'Neal's Orlando home on Thanksgiving Day 2002. The woman may be called as a witness at Bryant’s trial (scheduled to begin on Aug. 27 in Eagle, Colo.). Jeff Benedict, the author of the SI report, writes that the woman’s testimony might be used by the prosecution to show that aggressive sexual actions are part of Bryant's pattern of behavior. (Pamela Mackey, Bryant's lead attorney, did not respond to SI's efforts to reach her.) According to Benedict’s sources in the Los Angeles D.A.'s office, after hearing the Florida woman’s story investigators from L.A., along with Eagle prosecutors, contacted O'Neal through his agent, Perry Rogers, and told him that the former Lakers center could become a witness in Bryant's case. In addition, under Colorado rules of evidence, the Florida woman can be called as a rebuttal witness by the prosecution.

http://si.com/2004/magazine/08/03/scorecard0809/index.html

 

[EdLuva]

DUN DUN DUN

 

[Bob White]

"We make a lot of money, so we spend a lot of money."

 

[Mama Smurf]

I saw Shaq's house on cribs, it was fuckin' awesome.

 

[Ripclawe]

breaking news

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/breaking_news/story/218911p-188292c.html

Kobe's accuser may drop criminal case, sue him instead



THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


DENVER — The woman who accused Kobe Bryant of rape will have to discuss with prosecutors whether she will go ahead with the criminal case because she fears the release of court documents about her sex life threatens her chance of getting a fair hearing, one of her lawyers said Wednesday.
John Clune said his 20-year-old client will have to talk to prosecutors soon about that and will also consider whether to file a civil suit against the NBA star.

Asked if his client is considering dropping out of the criminal case, Clune told The Associated Press: “That’s something she and prosecutors will have to discuss in the immediate future. The DA’s office will have to make that decision on what they want to do.”

 

[Ninja Scooter]

but i thought she didn't care about the money? LMAO!

 

[DarienA]

File a civil suit charging what? Kobe hurt my butt?

 

[Ninja Scooter]

by the way, that SI report about the anonymous titty that Kobe allegedly grabbed is apparently pure bullshit.

from the rockymountain news:

Bogus SI article

On another front, defense attorneys blasted a Sports Illustrated Web site report that a woman who says she was groped by the Los Angeles Lakers star at a 2002 party at Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando, Fla., home could be called as a prosecution witness in the case........

Denver defense attorneys were highly skeptical of the report.

"Sports Illustrated covers criminal law as well as Court TV covers the NBA playoffs," said Larry Pozner, a criminal defense lawyer. "This is absurd. It shows no knowledge of Colorado law and is so full of inaccurate statements."

The SI.com story says the woman, who works at Orlando's Planet Hollywood restaurant, was subpoenaed after she had initially called the Eagle County District Attorney's Office, but then backed away from testifying after watching the many threats aimed at Bryant's alleged victim.


Dan Recht, a Denver defense attorney, said prosecutors can't automatically use that kind of testimony. First, they have to notify the defense and then get a hearing before the judge, who would then make a decision about whether it would be admissable.

"I'm surprised nobody has heard of such a thing or such a hearing if someone was going to do this," Recht said. "I don't even know if it would help the prosecution's claim if there was another unsubstantiated claim."

Also, under Colorado rules of procedure, any information without proof, relating to past "bad acts," can't be used at trial, lawyers said. Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert has said he wouldn't use "past bad acts" at Bryant's trial.

"The allegations by Sports Illustrated are classic 'prior bad acts,' " Recht said. "Hurlbert has said they're not using them. If they are, they're contradicting what he said."

Prosecutors don't get to hold such a witness "in their pocket," then call her as a rebuttal witness, said Pozner, who also scoffed at the idea of O'Neal testifying at Bryant's trial.

"There is about as much chance of Shaquille O'Neal being called in this as me being called to play for the Lakers," Pozner said.

 

[levious]

"There is about as much chance of Shaquille O'Neal being called in this as me being called to play for the Lakers," Pozner said

well, can he man the point? No reason to get ahead of ourselves.

 

[MaddenNFL64]

Me am confused.

 

[DarienA]

well, can he man the point? No reason to get ahead of ourselves.

LOL Hell he might be able to take the Glove one on one if he's got any kind of good first step!

 

[Incognito]

LOL Hell he might be able to take the Glove one on one if he's got any kind of good first step!

Ok, DarienA, consider this your final warning:

DO NOT TALK SHIT ABOUT GARY PAYTON, AKA "THE GLOVE", WHILE I'M ON THIS BOARD.

He's a god among men. Pay him his proper respects. Thanks.

 

[Ripclawe]

Moment of the night: Foxx giving GP crap about being the Glove, then saying, "That sumbitch had a hole in it this year," followed by GP staring him down for an extra second. Ouch. Everyone tensed up.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/take/040719

 

[DarienA]

Ok, DarienA, consider this your final warning:

DO NOT TALK SHIT ABOUT GARY PAYTON, AKA "THE GLOVE", WHILE I'M ON THIS BOARD.

He's a god among men. Pay him his proper respects. Thanks.

Gary's got my respect for his play at the height of his career... but no doubt he is in the sunset.

 

[levious]

dude, can you not read, that was your FINAL WARNING!!!

 

[Incognito]

Jamie Foxx and Gary Payton are best pals. They're always ragging each others performances.

Ok, DarienA, that's fair. I thought you might have been one of those new breed of Gary Payton haters who never realized that he had quite the career before joining the Lakers. So basically, you're the opposite of Shinobi. Good deal.

 

[sc0la]

Jamie Foxx and Gary Payton are best pals. They're always ragging each others performances.

And Jamie Foxx probably could have crossed up Payton at the end of last season. I'm just saying.

 

[Chesapeake Silt]

Is it too late for Kobe to join Team USA? Looks like his late August schedule might be clearing up shortly.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Payton is now just overrated trash that could be schooled by an Italian.

Just fanning the flames...

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Is it too late for Kobe to join Team USA? Looks like his late August schedule might be clearing up shortly.

i don't think he'd want to join that trainwreck waiting to happen.

 

[bionic77]

Another case of SI publishing a total BS story to get more publicity. Even if this is true that Kobe grabbed some women's ass and then let her go when she said no, it wouldn't be allowed in without a full blown out hearing which the prosecutor already said he wasn't going to. Of course he could have changed his mind, but more likely this is a leak from her civil legal team trying to gain some sympathy before they start their civil trial as it is now beginning to look like she is going to back out of the whole damn case.

 

[bjork]

 

[calder]

Heh, I was at cnn.com early and I was stunned that the Kobe grope-gate was front page. Me and a coworker were talking about it and he just dismissed it by saying SI is *huge* into the Kobe case as a massive news event (it is, but SI does seem to think it's much bigger than maybe it is - clearly to SI no story this year is even close to as important) and that as a result cnnsi.com is always huge on breaking any Kobe story like it's OJ in the Bronco, and that as a result of that cnn.com seems to think anything involving Kobe is somehow more important than whatever's happening in Iraq.

Tough to explain it the way he did, but I agreed with him that for weeks now it seems like SI/cnnsi/cnn have almost been trying to will the Kobe case into the sort of blockbuster ongoing news event that justifies headlines every day for months.

 

[Shinobi]

Ok, DarienA, consider this your final warning:

DO NOT TALK SHIT ABOUT GARY PAYTON, AKA "THE GLOVE", WHILE I'M ON THIS BOARD.

He's a god among men. Pay him his proper respects. Thanks.

Final warning? WTF are you gonna do, roll your bubble over to his crib and smack him up with your tubes?

And I've always said I was a fan of Glove (prior to last season), and knows he's had a great career (prior to last season). But based on his skills (from last season), he couldn't crack the squad for Great Britain.

 

[Jim Bowie]

Shaq: Yo, Kobe, stop touching all the ladies.

Kobe: YO SHAQ QUIT MOWWIN' DOWN ON CRUNCH BARS ROLFCOPTR!!!!1

 

[Shinobi]

 

[Mike Works]

Final warning? WTF are you gonna do, roll your bubble over to his crib and smack him up with your tubes?

I should change his tag to Bubble Boy