A federal judge has ruled that the identity of the woman who accused Kobe Bryant of criminal rape must be revealed in her civil case against the National Basketball Association star.
U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch said late Wednesday that the 20-year-old woman's continued anonymity could be misconstrued as a prejudgement in her favor.
Attorneys for Bryant opposed the anonymity request earlier this week, saying his accuser shouldn't be able to bring what they termed a "false accusation" in her lawsuit without being identified.
No trial date has been set in the civil lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages for what the woman says has been ridicule, pain and suffering since the incident.
Prosecutors dismissed a felony sexual assault charge against Bryant last month after the woman said she no longer wanted to participate in a criminal trial. Bryant has always insisted the 2003 encounter between the two at a Vail-area resort was consensual.