The woman who is suing Derrick Rose for an alleged gang rape that took place in 2013 held a teleconference with law reporters on Thursday. The call, which lasted for approximately 90 minutes, not only sheds further light on crucial details that will help decide the outcome of the $21.5 million civil suit, but also indicates criminal charges could still yet be filed.
Perhaps most disturbing among the hordes of information revealed by Jane Doe and her legal representation is that Rose was unable to define “consent” during pre-trial testimony. Dan Werly, a sports lawyer and contributor to Sports Illustrated, was among those listening in.
https://twitter.com/WerlySportsLaw/status/776489483302760448
https://twitter.com/WerlySportsLaw/status/776468695493251072
Law enforcement elected against charging Rose after his accuser informed them of the incident. Despite that initial decision and the approximately two year gap between the alleged rape and the time Doe reported it to police, however, investigators are apparently convinced a crime occurred in the early-morning hours of August 27, 2013 and are pondering criminal charges.
https://twitter.com/WerlySportsLaw/status/776480068143083520
https://twitter.com/WerlySportsLaw/status/776480304143929344
Doe and her attorneys are pressuring the Knicks and NBA at large to discipline the 2011 MVP, too.
https://twitter.com/WerlySportsLaw/status/776476548337639424
As Werly notes, it’s important to remember that the league has never fined or suspended a player for his involvement in civil court proceedings. Considering that investigators still haven’t ruled out charging Rose with a crime, though, there’s obviously still a chance that Adam Silver could intervene – which, it goes without saying, should absolutely be the least of anyone’s worries at the moment.
Doe, Rose, and his co-defendants, Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen, go to trial on October 4 in California.
