Kobe Bryant sexual assault case

The Kobe Bryant sexual assault case began on July 18, 2003, when the news media reported that the sheriff's office in Eagle, Colorado, had arrested then-professional basketball player Kobe Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint,^[1][2] filed by a 19-year-old hotel employee.^[3]

In 2003, the sheriff's office in Eagle, Colorado, arrested Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint.^[4][5] News of Bryant's arrest on July 18 garnered significant news media attention.^[3] Bryant had checked into The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, a hotel in Edwards, Colorado, on June 30 in advance of having surgery near there on July 2 under Dr. Richard Steadman. A 19-year-old hotel employee accused Bryant of raping her in his hotel room on July 1. She filed a police report and authorities questioned Bryant about bruising on the accuser's neck. Bryant admitted to a sexual encounter with his accuser but insisted the sex was consensual. The case was dropped after Bryant's accuser refused to testify in the case. A separate civil suit was later filed against Bryant by the woman. The suit was settled out of court and included Bryant publicly apologizing to his accuser, the public, and family, while denying the allegations.