“Prosecution Drops Charges in Kobe Bryant Rape Case”
Article Summary
In the summer of 2003, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was arrested and accused by a then 19-year-old hotel employee, Katelyn Faber, of sexual assault. Faber accused Bryant of raping her in his hotel room the night he checked in the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Eagle County, Colorado. In contrast, Bryant admitted to committing adultery by having sexual contact with Faber, but denied the sexual assault allegation because he believed the sex was consensual. These opposing views between the two parties led to one of the most followed and talked about cases in the past decade. Because of Bryant’s popularity and the degree of the accused crime, this case received massive media attention. In the end though, after a yearlong of drama and debate about the nation’s rape laws, the prosecutors decided to drop the case against Bryant and the article I am reviewing tells us how the case came into that conclusion.
To start it off, one of the main reasons the case against Bryant was dropped was because the accuser simply did not have the desire to proceed with the trial. After countless meetings with the accuser, her family, and her lawyers, the District Attorney in the case released the statement, "The victim has informed us, after much of her own labored deliberation, that she does not want to proceed with this trial," "For this reason, and this reason only, the case is being dismissed." I believe that there were numerous reasons on why the life of the plaintiff during the case was burdensome and difficult, which ultimately led her to the decision of dropping the case. First, this case was one, which received a large amount of media attention mainly in part of Bryant’s popularity. I can imagine Faber not having the ability to live her normal life. The routine that she has lived with is something she had to say goodbye to, and she also had to get used to the threats that were going her way. Though her name was not publicly revealed until well after the case was dropped, the community knew it was her, and the unusual amount of attention on her may have gotten the best of her. In addition to the attention, the revealing of her private life (sexual activities, sexual partners and so on) to the public also played a vital role in her decision of dropping the case. Because of the intense investigations of Bryant’s lawyers, they found evidence that Faber had sexual contact with several men before and after her encounter with Bryant. With this evidence, Bryant’s defense attorneys are not only attacking the plaintiff’s credibility, but also her image. It’s pretty reasonable to conclude that by dropping the case, Faber avoided the revealing of more information about her private life, which could’ve ended terribly for her.
Another aspect of the case that led to the conclusion of dropping the case was the emergence of a civil case that Faber filed against Bryant. With the emergence of the civil case, the criminal case was dealt a devastating blow because it would have allowed Bryant’s defense attorneys to portray Faber as driven by greed and not a quest for justice. Though the district attorney for the case stated that the plaintiff did not have the desire to move on with the trial, there were some who believed that this just implied that there was a settlement agreement in the works and part of that settlement agreement could be that she won't testify in the criminal case. This assumption makes sense because before the decision to drop the case was made, Faber was very much in favor with going through with the case. In addition to that, many legal scholars who were closely following the case affirmed that with the evidence that was being discovered, the prosecutor’s case was steadily weakening everyday. Whether it was the emergence of the civil case, an agreement in the works, the weakening of the prosecutor’s case or a combination of all, in my opinion, these definitely influenced the conclusion of dropping the case.
The Kobe Bryant Sexual Assault Case has been one of the most well-known and publicized cases in the past decade. Even though it received massive media attention, I believe that the case ended the way it’s supposed to be. There was not enough evidence to convict Bryant of sexual assault, and in fact, with more evidence being discovered, the prosecutor’s case was getting weaker. With all that in mind, it was correct for the case to be dropped against Mr. Bryant.

Source of Article:
Steve, Henson. "Kobe Bryant Case Evidence | Prosecution Drops Charges in Kobe Bryant Rape Case - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. 02 Sept. 2004. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://articles.latimes.com/2004/sep/02/local/me-bryant2>.