Derrick Rose, Friends Found Not Liable In Lawsuit

By ESPN

An eight-member jury in Los Angeles federal court has found New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose and his two friends not liable in a civil lawsuit that accused them of gang-raping Rose's ex-girlfriend when she was incapacitated from drugs or alcohol.

The jury began deliberations Wednesday morning, and its decision was announced at about 4:30 p.m. ET.

"I am thankful that the jury understood and agreed with me,'' Rose said in a statement to The Associated Press. "This experience and my sensitivity to it was deep. I am ready to put this behind me and focus on my family and career.''

Jurors posed for photographs with Rose one at a time in the courthouse lobby after the verdict was announced.

One of the two men among the eight jurors who identified himself only by his first name and age, Jared, 25, said the panel tried to look at the case in the plaintiff's favor but in the end could not believe her and felt her tears were not genuine.

"It felt like she was playing us,'' Jared said. "The second her lawyer started questioning her, she would start crying. I mean, granted, that could be realistic, but I feel l'm pretty good at reading people, and I felt as if it was false.''

Before he ended the proceedings, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald wished all parties the best but added for Rose, "Except when the Knicks play the Lakers."

Rose's ex-girlfriend said he and his two friends raped her in August 2013 at her Los Angeles apartment after she passed out from drugs or alcohol.

Neither side denied the three men had sex with the woman, but the issue was whether she consented or was too intoxicated to do so.

Defense lawyers painted the woman as a liar who tried to sway jurors through her tears to get at Rose's fortune. They claimed she was angry that he had dumped her and that she set him up and brought the lawsuit in hopes of a big payoff.

The woman's lawyer called the men "sexual deviants'' and said they conspired to rape her after she was drunk and incapable of consenting to sex.

Rose was in court, looking down, as the verdict was read. As soon as the first question was answered by the jury, his attorney got up and shook the hand of each of the three defendants.

"All three men were innocent from day one,'' Rose's attorney, Mark Baute, said. "We're very happy that the system worked.''

Wednesday, October 19 Scoreboard

Toronto 103, Detroit 92

New York 121, Boston 96

Milwaukee 111, Indiana 103

Minnesota 101,  Memphis 94

Houston 106, Dallas 91

Portland 88, Utah 84

Golden State 123, Los Angeles Lakers 112

Thursday, October 20 Schedule (All Times Central)

New Orleans at Orlando, 6 p.m.

Miami at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

New York at Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m.

Atlanta at Chicago, 7 p.m.

Friday, October 21 Schedule (All Times Central)

Toronto at Washington, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at Miami, 6:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Houston at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Dallas at Denver, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at Los Angeles Lakers, 9 p.m.

Portland at Golden State, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 22 Schedule

No games scheduled

Sunday, October 23 Schedule

No games scheduled