Bryant in Court Today

Kobe Bryant is due in Eagle County, Colo., court today, his final appearance before jury selection in his felony sexual assault trial begins Aug. 27.

Most of the matters to be addressed by the court are procedural -- and many legal analysts are predicting that what happens probably will, within days, become moot.

Amid a series of recent prosecution setbacks, speculation is rampant that the case against the Laker star may soon be dropped.

Bryant is accused of raping a woman in a room at the mountain resort where she worked and he was a guest on June 30, 2003.

He says they had consensual sex. If convicted, Bryant faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation.

Judge Terry Ruckriegle on Friday denied a request to put off the proceedings indefinitely. In arguing for the delay, prosecutors said the jury pool had been tainted by the mistaken release of transcripts about the accuser’s sexual activity between her encounter with Bryant and a medical examination the next day.

The prosecution had asked for the continuance Tuesday, the same day the accuser filed a civil suit against Bryant seeking unspecified damages. That suit constituted another blow to the criminal case, legal experts said, because defense attorneys can now question whether the woman’s allegations were motivated by the potential for a large monetary reward.

In rulings against Bryant last week, Ruckriegle denied a defense request to admit evidence about the accuser’s suicide attempts and use of prescription drugs.

He also agreed with prosecutors that testimony about her mental health and drug and alcohol use be limited.

Most experts seemed to think those victories were too little too late, however.

“Even with these rulings for the prosecution, I think the odds are against a criminal trial,” said Craig Silverman, a lawyer and former prosecutor who has followed the case closely.