As the rape case against basketball star Kobe Bryant proceeds, expect to see the alleged victim's past on trial too - both inside and outside the courtroom.
A Colorado judge allowed the case to go forward Monday one week after Mr. Bryant's defense attorneys introduced lurid evidence of the accuser's other sexual experiences at a preliminary hearing.
Kobe Bryant and his attorney, Pamela Mackey, are continuing his defense after a judge allowed the case to go forward after a preliminary hearing.
Like most states, Colorado has a "rape shield law" that generally protects victims from disclosures about their sexual conduct or reputation before or after an alleged assault. But the Colorado law includes two exceptions: evidence about prior sexual conduct with the defendant and evidence that might show the acts charged were not committed by the defendant.
Now, in the highest-profile criminal prosecution since O.J. Simpson's trial a decade ago, the balance between a defendant's right to a fair trial and an accuser's rights under the rape shield law will be tested.
The Christian Science Monitor has the details here.