Bryant’s accuser may file suit in California

Denver — Attorneys for the woman accusing Kobe Bryant of rape said Monday they might move her lawsuit to California because of Colorado’s limits on financial damages.

Lin Wood, one of the attorneys representing the 20-year-old woman, said Colorado state law made it difficult for a plaintiff to win more than $733,000 in damages.

The accuser’s attorneys expect to decide whether to move the trial by the end of November.

The civil case accuses Bryant of raping the woman in his room at the Vail-area resort hotel where she worked in June 2003. A felony sexual-assault charge against Bryant was dropped in September after the woman decided she could not participate in a criminal trial.

Wood said if the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in Orange County, Calif., where Bryant lives, they most likely would drop the suit filed in Denver federal court. The state law capping damages still would apply to a case heard in federal court.

A lawsuit can be filed either in the jurisdiction where the alleged harm occurred or where the defendant lives.

Outlaw rejoins Suns; Tabuse on injured list

Phoenix — Bo Outlaw signed a one-year contract to rejoin Phoenix. The Suns said the 6-foot-8 forward would join them for tonight’s game at Chicago.

To make room, the Suns placed guard Yuta Tabuse, the first Japanese-born player to make an NBA roster, on the injured list with a right quadriceps strain.

Outlaw, 33, won fans for his defense and hard-nosed play during two seasons with Phoenix, when he averaged 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Sprained ankle delays Brown’s return

Washington — Kwame Brown has a sprained left ankle to go along with his broken right foot, probably delaying his return to the Washington Wizards until December.

Brown sprained the ankle during practice last week. He has been recovering from surgery on a broken bone in his right foot, which he injured during a summer pickup game.

While there had been no firm timetable for Brown’s return, he previously said he hoped to practice at full speed by the end of the month. He said the ankle injury most likely would sideline him until December.

“It’s not like I’m going to be 100 percent when I come back,” Brown said. “I’ll just come back, and whatever I can give, give it as we go along.”

Brown, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft, is in the final year of his contract, having failed to agree to an extension before the season.

Lenard out six months

Denver — Nuggets shooting guard Voshon Lenard will be sidelined at least six months after surgery Monday on his torn left Achilles’ tendon. Lenard was injured Nov. 2, in Denver’s season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 14.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season, helping the Nuggets reach the playoffs for the first time in a decade.