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American Morning

Waiting Game For Basketball Star Kobe Bryant Now

Aired July 08, 2003 - 08:17   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is a waiting game for pro-basketball star Kobe Bryant now. Prosecutors in Colorado still trying to decide whether or not to file criminal charges against Bryant for an alleged sexual assault back at the end of June. The Los Angeles Lakers' star now free on bond after turning himself in on Friday of last week.
An attorney for Bryant says she expects him to be completely exonerated.

One of the country's most respected criminal defense lawyers, Roy Black, back with us from Miami to talk about defending celebrity clients.

Good to see you again, Roy.

Good morning to you.

ROY BLACK, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: What do you make, first, of this conflicting message that apparently is at work right now between the sheriff and the D.A. in Colorado?

BLACK: Well, I was watching your programming earlier and you're right to have some skepticism about this because you worry about the police running out to make an arrest without having the prosecutor involved. Remove, the prosecutor is the one who's going to have to present this case in court, and if the case is not really that strong, the prosecutor is not going to want a file a case against somebody like Kobe Bryant.

HEMMER: Yes, you said a couple of things that really got my attention, with our producers late last night. You say a judge is much tougher on a celebrity.

How so?

BLACK: Well, you know, it's the good news and bad news about being a celebrity. Number one, prosecutors and judges want to lean over backwards to charge you so it doesn't look like favoritism. On the other hand, when you get to court, jurors like you a lot more than anybody else and more likely to believe you.

So you're, it's very easy to get caught up in the process. But the good news for them that the end result usually is a jury likes them and makes it a lot easier for them.

HEMMER: You, Roy, did you say this jury is more likely to believe him than her? Were those your words?

BLACK: Absolutely, because, you know, they see...

HEMMER: Doesn't it depend on the witnesses and how he or she does on the stand?

BLACK: That's true. But I'm saying all things being equal -- I don't know anything about this woman, about what's in her background or anything like that -- but remember, somebody like Kobe Bryant, who has a great reputation, who you see on television, who you naturally like, is a likable person. The jury is going to like him.

HEMMER: It makes sense. We'll see if it plays out if it ever gets that far.

You said three other things. Corroboration is something you want to look at right now. You want to check for bruising possibly on the woman's body and also when and how she called the police.

Expand on that, if you could.

BLACK: Well, let's face it, Bill, if it's only her word against him, it's an awful weak case. They're going to need something that corroborates her accusation. If there's any bruises on her, if she made a prompt complaint to the police, whether there's any other kind of damage like ripped clothing, something like that to corroborate that there was some force or lack of consent. Remember, these people -- these kids in the NBA have women being thrown at them all the time. And, you know, you have to sort of doubt some of the credibility of some of these accusations.

HEMMER: What do you think of the strategy for Koby right now, out of sight essentially? He's said to be back in L.A. We have not seen or heard from him other than the attorneys statements that were made on his behalf in the past few days. A good strategy or not, Roy, right now?

BLACK: Absolutely. There's nothing he can really say other than that he's innocent. If he starts giving an explanation, he can get himself into trouble. If he says anything critical about the woman involved, he's going to have a ton of criticism come down on his head. So it's a very smart move not saying anything at this time, Bill.

HEMMER: Come back and talk, will you, Roy?

BLACK: I'd be happy to do it.

HEMMER: Roy Black live in Miami, good to see you again.

BLACK: Thank you, Bill.

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







Aired July 8, 2003 - 08:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is a waiting game for pro-basketball star Kobe Bryant now. Prosecutors in Colorado still trying to decide whether or not to file criminal charges against Bryant for an alleged sexual assault back at the end of June. The Los Angeles Lakers' star now free on bond after turning himself in on Friday of last week.
An attorney for Bryant says she expects him to be completely exonerated.

One of the country's most respected criminal defense lawyers, Roy Black, back with us from Miami to talk about defending celebrity clients.

Good to see you again, Roy.

Good morning to you.

ROY BLACK, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: What do you make, first, of this conflicting message that apparently is at work right now between the sheriff and the D.A. in Colorado?

BLACK: Well, I was watching your programming earlier and you're right to have some skepticism about this because you worry about the police running out to make an arrest without having the prosecutor involved. Remove, the prosecutor is the one who's going to have to present this case in court, and if the case is not really that strong, the prosecutor is not going to want a file a case against somebody like Kobe Bryant.

HEMMER: Yes, you said a couple of things that really got my attention, with our producers late last night. You say a judge is much tougher on a celebrity.

How so?

BLACK: Well, you know, it's the good news and bad news about being a celebrity. Number one, prosecutors and judges want to lean over backwards to charge you so it doesn't look like favoritism. On the other hand, when you get to court, jurors like you a lot more than anybody else and more likely to believe you.

So you're, it's very easy to get caught up in the process. But the good news for them that the end result usually is a jury likes them and makes it a lot easier for them.

HEMMER: You, Roy, did you say this jury is more likely to believe him than her? Were those your words?

BLACK: Absolutely, because, you know, they see...

HEMMER: Doesn't it depend on the witnesses and how he or she does on the stand?

BLACK: That's true. But I'm saying all things being equal -- I don't know anything about this woman, about what's in her background or anything like that -- but remember, somebody like Kobe Bryant, who has a great reputation, who you see on television, who you naturally like, is a likable person. The jury is going to like him.

HEMMER: It makes sense. We'll see if it plays out if it ever gets that far.

You said three other things. Corroboration is something you want to look at right now. You want to check for bruising possibly on the woman's body and also when and how she called the police.

Expand on that, if you could.

BLACK: Well, let's face it, Bill, if it's only her word against him, it's an awful weak case. They're going to need something that corroborates her accusation. If there's any bruises on her, if she made a prompt complaint to the police, whether there's any other kind of damage like ripped clothing, something like that to corroborate that there was some force or lack of consent. Remember, these people -- these kids in the NBA have women being thrown at them all the time. And, you know, you have to sort of doubt some of the credibility of some of these accusations.

HEMMER: What do you think of the strategy for Koby right now, out of sight essentially? He's said to be back in L.A. We have not seen or heard from him other than the attorneys statements that were made on his behalf in the past few days. A good strategy or not, Roy, right now?

BLACK: Absolutely. There's nothing he can really say other than that he's innocent. If he starts giving an explanation, he can get himself into trouble. If he says anything critical about the woman involved, he's going to have a ton of criticism come down on his head. So it's a very smart move not saying anything at this time, Bill.

HEMMER: Come back and talk, will you, Roy?

BLACK: I'd be happy to do it.

HEMMER: Roy Black live in Miami, good to see you again.

BLACK: Thank you, Bill.

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