Imaginary Conversations and Random Thoughts

Yeah. Sorry about the weak title.

Kobe Bryant is accused of rape. Lots of media. Lots of speculation. Bloody T-shirt. Bryant claims sex was consensual. Evidence in case starts to look like it’s not going to hold up. Looks like reasonable doubt may exist after all. So now we hear that the accuser might want to drop the criminal trial in favor of a lottery ticket to civil court. Bryant is rich, after all. He won’t miss a few million.

Question: without the criminal accusation, would the civil case have had any chance? I mean without the physical evidence collected by the cops, would she have anything to go on? Seems like all she could really prove is that he stayed at a place where she worked, and she took him some room service. By getting the cops involved, she gets lots of evidence collection, and Bryant admitted they had sex, with Bryant saying she was a willing participant. But if Bryant gets a call from his lawyer a month or two after his Colorado trip saying some woman wants to file a civil suit, Bryant could have denied the sex completely, and how would she prove it? Maybe she found a way: get the cops involved.

You say why would she drag herself through all this mud if it didn’t really happen? I say I could eat turd sandwiches for a year or two if I knew I could change my name after and live peacefully with all my millions from Kobe.

Quick detour: Have you noticed the trend in recent years of creative government currency procurement? Someone starts a wildfire, and the Govt sues the person to get the costs back. Someone needs rescuing from an ill advised mountain climbing trip, and the Govt charges for the helicopter ride to safety.

Question: How much have the DA and Police and local governments paid to run this case so far? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Has it reached a million dollars yet? If the accuser dumps them to go for a civil suit jackpot, I wouldn’t blame them for wanting their investment back. I mean, they might not be able to win a criminal trial, but their efforts will probably be the deciding factor if she wins a civil trial.

The fact that I’m willing to write this, and you were willing to read this far, tells me that these thoughts are not as crazy as they might seem at first.

Update: Ok I asked, and I did find one figure. “Prosecutors working the Bryant case are asking for about $300,000 for expenses for next year -- for now -- to cover such costs as paying strangulation experts.” This happened on Oct 4, 2003, and you can read it here. You go look now!

That’s enough for me for now. I just got tired of looking. If you find better or more up to date figures, please let me know. Keep in mind, I think I heard that Eagle County only has about four thousand residents. Ok one more. The $300,000 appears to be in addition to $105,000 requested on June 29, 2003, which you can read about here. You go look now!

And if you know of more current figures, please let me know.

Update 2: I guess I’m not the only one. CNN has a story on the nearly $20,000 she has already received from a victims compensation fund, money she would have to repay if it turns out she lied. Bryant’s lawyers note that repayment of this substantial sum might be a motivating factor for the accuser to continue her story. I found it here. You go look now!

Update 3: She’s going for it. You can read about the judge who will run the civil case here. You go look now!

Update 4: Someone else in another circumstance who should also reimburse the government can be read about here. You go look now!

Actual Update: It finally crystallized for me. I just don’t want to find out later that she used the resources of the government as her personal private investigation service. And I might as well just say that my thoughts in this post are opinions based on what I’ve heard here and there in the media. I am in no way involved in this case, and have no special or inside information from, nor access to, any of the parties involved in the case.