Judge in Bryant case makes apology for court mistakes

EAGLE, Colo. - With the parents of the alleged victim in the courtroom, the judge in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case apologized Friday for court mistakes that led to the release of sealed information.

During the brief public hearing, District Judge Terry Ruckriegle told the parents he would treat the mistakes as a learning experience.

"For all of those who come through these doors, victims and defendants alike, whose names are never known and never sought, I can only assure you I have learned lessons from these mistakes, and that we will give our best human effort not to let it happen again," he said.

Then he looked directly at the parents of the 20-year-old accuser and said, "Again, I apologize." They nodded in response.

The hearing, one of two scheduled before the trial begins Aug. 27, came one day after Ruckriegle released an edited transcript from a closed-door hearing in June in which defense attorneys claimed the woman was pursuing the case in part because she has received nearly $20,000 from a state victims' compensation fund.

Bryant has pleaded not guilty to a felony sexual assault charge, saying he had consensual sex with a 19-year-old employee of the Vail-area resort where he stayed last summer. If convicted, the Los Angeles Lakers star faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and a fine up to $750,000.

Scheduled for discussion behind closed doors later Friday were requests by Bryant's attorneys to keep his tape-recorded statements to investigators under seal until trial.

Legal experts have speculated the defense might want to keep embarrassing - but not necessarily incriminating - statements out of the trial.

During the public portion of the hearing, the prosecution and defense said they had agreed on how to use DNA evidence obtained from Bryant during a hospital exam after the alleged attack last summer.

Ruckriegle said the agreement generally means either side could introduce the evidence at any point. Prosecutor Ingrid Bakke later said the only DNA evidence she plans to use was from the alleged victim's blood found on Bryant's T-shirt.

The DNA evidence collected from Bryant was thrown out this month as part of a larger defense request.

The judge has ruled that the woman's sex life over the three days before her July 1, 2003, hospital exam can be used as evidence.