DENVER, Colorado, Aug 11 (AFP) - Prosecutors in NBA star Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case on Wednesday asked a judge to indefinitely delay the start of his criminal trial less than three weeks before its start.
Legal observers saw the move, coming a day after Bryant's accuser filed a civil suit against him, as a first step toward an inevitable prosecution decision to shelve the troubled case altogether.
The prosecution motion, filed in Eagle County court, said the delay was necessary because the Judge Terry Ruckriegle had failed to deliver timely rulings in the case that prosecutors deem critical to its outcome.
Prosecution spokeswoman Krista Flannigan declined to comment on the latest move by Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert to postpone the trial, jury selection for which had been due to start August 27.
Prosecutors said a lack of decisive action by the judge in settling outstanding legal issues had damaged the prosecution case.
Outstanding issues on which Judge Ruckriegle has not yet ruled include whether or not the defense will be allowed to introduce evidence concerning the accuser's mental health history, or her possible drug and alcohol use.
"Lack of a timely ruling has prejudiced the People in their preparation for the trial," prosecutors wrote.
The motion was filed just a day after the alleged victim in the case filed a federal civil lawsuit in the Colorado city of Denver alleging that Bryant had raped her.
That move had been interpreted by many as an indication that the 20-year-old accuser had made a decision not to testify in Bryant's criminal trial.
Legal experts said the filing of a civil case foreshadowed the dismissal of the criminal case which would be hard to pursue if the accuser stopped cooperating.
The motion filed Wednesday cast further doubt on the future of the prosecution against 25-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star Bryant, legal experts said.