The woman accusing Penn State running back Austin Scott of raping her earlier this month accused another man of rape four years ago.
That man was acquitted, and now, Scott's attorneys say they plan to have him testify at Scott's trial to show the woman's lack of credibility.
Centre County Assistant District Attorney Lance Marshall said the woman's past is irrelevant to this case and would only taint the jury.
"The primary reason John Karoly, [Scott's attorney], hopes to try this case in the media is to intimidate the victim of the crime and prevent her from testifying," according to a statement from the District Attorney's office. "This highly inflammatory and prejudicial information serves only to embarrass and humiliate the victim."
Karoly argues that it shows motive.
"The jury should have full knowledge of this girl's past," he said.
It will be up to a judge to determine whether the woman's history will be admissible evidence at trial.
Four years ago, Scott's accuser reported a similar incident at Moravian College, telling Bethlehem police she was raped by student Christopher Burgan in his dorm room, according to court documents.
Burgan was found not guilty of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, two counts of sexual assault, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, two charges of indecent assault and two charges of simple assault.
Karoly said the 2003 incident and the story the woman reported to police on Oct. 5 are "strikingly similar." In both incidents, court documents show the woman told police she was drinking before willingly going to the men's residences and was awoken by the man trying to have sex with her.
"The similarity between the events alleged simply can't be ignored by a jury," Karoly said. "It now appears that this is a pattern of her accusations."
The woman told Bethlehem police she was at a fraternity party the night of Oct. 9, 2003, when she met Burgan, then a fraternity pledge. She went to Burgan's dorm room, where they had consensual sex and then fell asleep, according to court documents.
The woman told police she was later awakened by Burgan attempting to have sex with her. She said she told Burgan to stop because she was in pain and then cried and screamed as he continued to assault her three to five times over a four-and-a-half hour period, according to court documents.
The woman was taken to St. Lukes Hospital in Bethlehem, where she was treated for bite marks on her back, deep bruises on her upper arm and swelling and bleeding of the genitals.
Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said last week that his office is treating Scott's case like any other rape case.
"We believe the attempts ... to bring potentially irrelevant information to the attention of the public frustrates the function of the court and the pursuit of justice, both for Austin Scott and the people of Centre County," according to the commonwealth's statement.
Penn State Police records show the woman reported she was raped by Scott at his Nittany Apartments residence in the early morning of Oct. 5. She told police she had been drinking at a downtown bar and accompanied Scott back to his apartment. She said she fell asleep in Scott's bed and was awoken by his attempts to have intercourse with her.
Scott faces charges of rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault and simple assault.
Karoly has called the woman's testimony an "incredulous story."
"It is an unbelievable story told twice almost precisely four years apart under similar circumstances," he said.
Karoly said in a press release issued later Friday evening that the district attorney is attempting "to misdirect the public's attention" away from the woman by "attacking" his defense.
