Judge: Accuser in Derrick Rose trial will not have anonymity kept in court
The judge in the case says any decision to put her name out there is a journalistic decision
By
Eye on Basketball staff
•
1 min read
The alleged victim in the Derrick Rose sexual assault trial has tried to keep her real name out of public consumption. The goal for was to keep the anonymity going throughout the trial to avoid harassment and unfair treatment throughout the due process, and up until this point the alleged accuser has been referred to as "Jane Doe" in court documents. That will no longer be the case as the trial begins Oct. 4.
U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald has ruled that she will not continue to have anonymity in court when the trial begins despite her side arguing her privacy needs to be protected. The judge had the accuser's name stricken from the record shortly after ruling it would be out there during the trial. Rose's attorney revealed the name in court after the ruling, but the judge insisted her anonymity be kept up until the trial begins. The judge also said any outlet using her name in news stories about the trial is a "journalistic decision."
A woman accusing NBA star Derrick Rose of rape cannot remain anonymous at her upcoming civil trial, a Los Angeles judge ruled Tuesday.
Lawyers for the woman, who is identified in court documents as Jane Doe, argued that her privacy should be protected because she is vulnerable and she has already been harassed after her name was leaked.
U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald said the law was very clear on the issue and he wouldn't close his courtroom to protect her identity. He said any decision by the news media about whether to name her is a journalistic decision.
Rose's accuser had kept her family in the dark on any involvement with Rose or the trial. They didn't know that she had any history with the New York Knicks' guard. She's alleging back in 2013 that Rose and his friends raped her while she was incapacitated from drinking.
