DOCUMENT: Crime

Judge: Don't Call Kobe Bryant Accuser "Victim"

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Judge: Don't Call Kobe Bryant Accuser "Victim"

Judge: Don't Call Kobe Accuser "Victim"

JUNE 1--The woman who has accused Kobe Bryant of rape can not be referred to at trial as a "victim," according to a ruling by the Colorado judge overseeing the NBA star's criminal case. In the below decision, District Judge Terry Ruckriegle sided with Bryant's attorneys, who argued that the term implied guilt on the 25-year-old athlete's part and essentially robbed him of the presumption of innocence. The 19-year-old woman will be referred to by her name during the trial, ordered Ruckriegle, who noted that he will continue to refer to her as the "alleged victim." (3 pages)