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Medical Privacy Issues Subject of Kobe Bryant Hearing Today

Aired February 02, 2004 - 15:03   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: PHILLIPS: Medical privacy issues are the subject of a closed-door hearing in Colorado in the Kobe Bryant case. Bryant failed to show up today.
We get the latest now from CNN's Gary Tuchman -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, Kobe Bryant's pre-trial hearing is taking place without Kobe Bryant. The Los Angeles Laker guard is said to be in the Eagle, Colorado, area, but called in sick this morning and told his attorneys, Pamela Mackey and Hal Haddon, he wasn't feeling good. So his attorneys asked the judge for permission for Kobe Bryant to stay at the hotel. And indeed, his attorneys are now representing him without him being here.

Inside the courtroom, proceedings are taking place in a closed- door session. The judge ordered the reporters to stay out because of sensitive information that's being discussed about the accuser's medical and psychological past. Kobe Bryant's attorneys are asking the judge to be allowed to use her past medical history during a trial, saying it shows she is not credible, that she had a scheme to lie about Kobe Bryant. The prosecution is saying her medical past, which reportedly includes two suicide attempts, it's irrelevant to this case.

Right now, they're at a lunch hour. They will continue in about 30 minutes, talking about this. A decision from the judge could possibly come later today.

Also on the docket today, a discussion about comments that Kobe Bryant made to sheriff's deputies one day after this alleged rape. The comments allegedly lasted 75 minutes. Kobe Bryant did not know it, but he was being taped surreptitiously on an audio recorder. His attorneys are saying it should not be allowed in the case because he wasn't given his rights. But the prosecutors say he didn't need to be gimped his rights because he wasn't in custody.

We expect police officers to take the stand today, including three undercover drug officers who are involved in this case. The reason I bring that up, that they're undercover drug officers, is because the prosecution did not want the news media to be in for that either because these were undercover officers. And the news media attorneys, the prosecution, the defense and the judge made an agreement that we will be allowed in for that discussion, but we cannot tell you, our viewers, the names of these officers.

We can't look at their faces; they'll be behind screens. And the sketch artist who's inside the court has been told she can't sketch their faces either.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Gary, how did these undercover drug officers get involved? Do we know what the connection is?

TUCHMAN: Well, I'm glad you brought that up, Kyra, because we should stress this is not a drug case. Drugs are not believed to be part of this case. It just so happens that Eagle County is not a huge, bustling metropolitan force. So sometimes officers who specialize in one thing work in something else.

PHILLIPS: Gary Tuchman from Eagle, Colorado, thank you.

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Today>


Aired February 2, 2004 - 15:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: PHILLIPS: Medical privacy issues are the subject of a closed-door hearing in Colorado in the Kobe Bryant case. Bryant failed to show up today.
We get the latest now from CNN's Gary Tuchman -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, Kobe Bryant's pre-trial hearing is taking place without Kobe Bryant. The Los Angeles Laker guard is said to be in the Eagle, Colorado, area, but called in sick this morning and told his attorneys, Pamela Mackey and Hal Haddon, he wasn't feeling good. So his attorneys asked the judge for permission for Kobe Bryant to stay at the hotel. And indeed, his attorneys are now representing him without him being here.

Inside the courtroom, proceedings are taking place in a closed- door session. The judge ordered the reporters to stay out because of sensitive information that's being discussed about the accuser's medical and psychological past. Kobe Bryant's attorneys are asking the judge to be allowed to use her past medical history during a trial, saying it shows she is not credible, that she had a scheme to lie about Kobe Bryant. The prosecution is saying her medical past, which reportedly includes two suicide attempts, it's irrelevant to this case.

Right now, they're at a lunch hour. They will continue in about 30 minutes, talking about this. A decision from the judge could possibly come later today.

Also on the docket today, a discussion about comments that Kobe Bryant made to sheriff's deputies one day after this alleged rape. The comments allegedly lasted 75 minutes. Kobe Bryant did not know it, but he was being taped surreptitiously on an audio recorder. His attorneys are saying it should not be allowed in the case because he wasn't given his rights. But the prosecutors say he didn't need to be gimped his rights because he wasn't in custody.

We expect police officers to take the stand today, including three undercover drug officers who are involved in this case. The reason I bring that up, that they're undercover drug officers, is because the prosecution did not want the news media to be in for that either because these were undercover officers. And the news media attorneys, the prosecution, the defense and the judge made an agreement that we will be allowed in for that discussion, but we cannot tell you, our viewers, the names of these officers.

We can't look at their faces; they'll be behind screens. And the sketch artist who's inside the court has been told she can't sketch their faces either.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Gary, how did these undercover drug officers get involved? Do we know what the connection is?

TUCHMAN: Well, I'm glad you brought that up, Kyra, because we should stress this is not a drug case. Drugs are not believed to be part of this case. It just so happens that Eagle County is not a huge, bustling metropolitan force. So sometimes officers who specialize in one thing work in something else.

PHILLIPS: Gary Tuchman from Eagle, Colorado, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Today>