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Kobe Bryant and an auction house that wants to sell memorabilia from his high school days and early pro career are heading for a trial next month, unless they can work out a deal before then.
U.S. District Judge Renee Bumb on Monday set June 17 as a trial date, but also set a court-guided mediation session for Friday in a case that’s the manifestation of an ugly family dispute that all sides seem to want to resolve quickly.
”Maybe I should have had you bring your witnesses today and we would have tried the case,” Bumb said at a hearing. ”You’re all so ready to go.”
The main reason she didn’t schedule the trial for an earlier date was that Bryant’s father, Joe ”Jellybean” Bryant, said he could not get to a trial sooner because he’s coaching a Thai team in the Asian Basketball League playoffs.
Reported by Geoff Mulvihill of the Associated Press
