The civil sexual assault lawsuit against Derrick Rose and two friends has taken yet another turn, this one potentially the most significant yet. Rose, who is set to go to trial on October 4 to face allegations of gang rape, could potentially face criminal action in addition to the civil suit brought against him by a woman stemming from an alleged attack in 2013.
The Los Angeles Police Department has opened a criminal investigation against Rose and his two associates, Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen, as ThinkProgress confirmed Monday.
Notably, the detective, Nadine Hernandez, argues that maintaining the victim’s anonymity “is an invaluable investigative aid to investigators.” The department plans to maintain her anonymity “throughout the criminal investigation being handled by the Los Angeles Police Department.”
The entire letter from the LAPD is available below, and this is a major development in the case. A judge ruled last week that Rose’s accuser, who had been going under the pseudonym Jane Doe, must reveal her real name at next week’s trial. It was a ruling Rose and his lawyers had been pushing for months before it was granted, and the presence of a criminal investigation could be enough for a judge to overturn that ruling and allow the woman to keep her anonymity.
Most recently, Rose was threatened with sanctions by the judge in the civil case for labeling her as “sexually aggressive.”
Knicks training camp kicks off Monday afternoon, and Rose is expected to address reporters at media day.
