EAGLE, Colo. (AP) — The dismissal of the sex assault charge against Kobe Bryant underscores why records in the case should be made public, media organizations said in motions Monday to unseal the evidence.

The public has a right to know why prosecutors spent thousands of dollars trying to bring the case to trial in the first place, said the motions filed by nearly a dozen media organizations, including The Associated Press.

Prosecutors had accused the Los Angeles Lakers star of raping a woman at a Vail-area resort last summer but dropped the case at the request of the 20-year-old accuser earlier this month. They have said the case was strong.

Last week, a judge agreed temporarily to a request from Bryant's attorney Pamela Mackey to keep documents and evidence from the case sealed.

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Mackey had argued that because the charge was dismissed, Bryant should be allowed to move on with his life.

The sealed material includes recordings and transcripts of Bryant's interview with sheriff's investigators the night after the alleged rape.

Bryant still faces a civil lawsuit seeking unspecified damages filed by the accuser's attorneys in federal court in Denver.