NASHVILLE – Prosecutors representing a woman who was allegedly raped by four former Vanderbilt University football players asked a judge Monday to charge defense attorneys with criminal contempt of court for releasing personal information about the victim.
Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman said during a court hearing that the defense attorneys violated the state’s rape shield law when they filed a motion of more than 100 pages that contained what should have been private information about the rape victim, such as her name, photos, medical records and Twitter account.
“There’s absolutely no rational explanation that would be done, other than to intimidate the victim,” Norman said.
Defense attorneys say they did nothing wrong, and that some of the information was public record.
The hearing Monday was for former football player Brandon Vandenburg, one of the players accused of gang raping a student in a campus dorm last June. Vandenburg, 20, is charged with five counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated sexual battery, unlawful photography and tampering with evidence. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty.