Yesterday, October 9, 2003, a preliminary hearing
was held in the Kobe Bryant rape case. Bryant's
defense lawyer, Pamela Mackey, called the victim's
name six times in the public hearing, and made the
implication the victim had sex three times in the past
three days at the time of the assault.
CNN's anchor didn't grasp anything was wrong with
the story until Jeffrey Toobin, their legal analyst,
came on. He called the defense lawyers "SLEAZY"
and explained how victims of rape are protected
under the rape shield law. Their privacy--even their
name--is required to be confidential under the law.
Mr. Toobin explained that this was "SLEAZY"
because the defense lawyers were knowingly
breaking the rules and attacking a victim.
The judge threatened Ms. Mackey with a "muzzle"
for her six alleged mistakes, and the irresponsible
accusation shut down the hearing entirely.
But even with a responsible judge, the defense
lawyers' sleaze was the biggest news of the day.
As far as I know, no one in the press published the
victim's name, but the alleged past sexual behavior of
the victim was international news. It trumped all the
other evidence in the case--including the fact the
victim's blood was found on Kobe Bryant's t-shirt,
matched by DNA.
It is clear to me that some defense lawyers are just
like their clients--sleazy sociopaths, and the lowest
form of scum.
OCTOBER, 2003
DNA v SLEAZE
Incidentally, the name of the victim is now plastered all over
the Internet, thanks to the alleged rapist's lawyer. The
alleged rapist has a fan club of crazies who would do
anything to help their "hero." Is it any wonder that half of
rape victims never report the crime????? Is it any wonder
that most Americans believe the legal profession is out of
control????
|
70,000+ HITS