Bryant’s Lawyers Seek Restrictions

Kobe Bryant’s civil attorneys want a judge to impose strict restrictions before the Laker star is questioned under oath by attorneys for the woman who accused him of sexual assault.

In a court filing in Denver on Monday, attorney Pamela Mackey asked U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch to enter a confidentiality order and prohibit the woman’s lawyers from asking about Bryant’s sexual history during a deposition scheduled for today at an undisclosed location in Southern California.

The Eagle, Colo., woman accused Bryant of raping her June 30, 2003, at a resort hotel where he was staying and she worked. A felony sexual assault charge brought against Bryant was dropped Sept. 1 after his accuser decided not to testify.

The woman, now 20, is suing Bryant in Colorado for monetary damages, and one of her attorneys, Lin Wood, has said he plans to also file a civil suit in Orange County, where Bryant lives.

Bryant’s attorneys want a large portion of the deposition to remain confidential and want to bar Wood from asking Bryant about his consensual sexual activity.

They also want Bryant to be deposed only once, regardless of whether a second suit is filed.

“Even legitimate discovery in this case will require both Mr. Bryant and [his accuser] to disclose highly sensitive, confidential and private information about themselves, including the details of the sexual encounter that is at the core of this lawsuit,” Mackey said.

In a letter to Bryant’s lawyers, Wood said he wanted to interview Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, in January. Mackey suggested that Wood’s tactics are designed to persuade Bryant to reach a financial settlement with his accuser before a deposition is taken.

Questions about Bryant’s history of consensual sex “would be not only irrelevant,” Mackey wrote, but serve only to “harass and embarrass [Bryant] and to send a message that continuing to defend a litigation will subject him to personal trauma and embarrassment.”