ESPN is being called out by the attorney for the woman accusing New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana of rape ... accusing the network of "irresponsible journalism" for revealing her identity.


The woman filed the civil lawsuit for sexual battery under the pseudonym Jane Doe -- but the judge ordered her on Monday to reveal her name. ESPN.com published a story about the case and used her name.

John Clune, the woman's attorney, just blasted ESPN, telling TMZ, "ESPN has now set a dangerous precedent in telling rape victims that this will be their punishment if they attempt to pursue accountability for their celebrity offenders."

Clune, who also repped Kobe Bryant's accuser back in 2003, went on to say, "Disappointingly, ESPN today chose to publicize the identity of a rape victim on their website, despite the obvious attempt by this woman to protect herself and her children from further unwarranted harassment and abuse in pursuing her only remaining avenue to hold Mr. Santana accountable."

ESPN has not yet returned our call.

The argument for making the woman's name public -- it's wrong to let people hide behind a veil of anonymity when they make accusations in civil lawsuits that can ruin someone's life.

So we ask:

 

NY Mets pitcher Johan Santana says if his rape accuser wants to play ball (in court) she needs to reveal her name -- and he wants a judge to throw out the case if she doesn't ... according to new legal documents.



TMZ has obtained Santana's motion to dismiss the civil lawsuit in which his attorneys claim, "Mr. Santana will be placed at a serious disadvantage, for he will be required to defend himself publicly while the Plaintiff will be allowed to make her accusations behind a cloak of anonymity."

The plaintiff filed as Jane Doe, but according to the motion, Florida law requires someone filing a civil lawsuit to "disclose his or her name in the complaint."

Rape accusers commonly remain anonymous in criminal cases, but not in civil matters.

Authorities are ducking for cover in the decision not to prosecute MLB superstar Johan Santana for allegedly raping a woman back in October ... each blaming the other side for pulling the plug on the investigation.



TMZ just spoke with Samantha Syoen -- a spokeswoman for the Florida State Attorney's Office -- who told us they never went after the NY Mets all-star pitcher because the Lee County Sheriff's Department never presented the case.

But the Sheriff's Dept. is calling BS -- claiming a State Prosecutor named Francine Donnorummo not only declined to prosecute ... but signed an official document backing her decision. .

Now, the State Attorney's Office claims Donnorummo signed the document at an "informal and regular meeting" ... and it wasn't intended to be the final decision on Santana's fate.

Bottom line -- no one in law enforcement wants to take responsibility for letting Johan skate.

TMZ has learned Johan Santana made a hefty financial settlement offer to the woman suing him for an alleged sexual assault.


According to sources close to the case, attorneys for the NY Mets pitcher have been negotiating with the accuser's attorneys for months ... trying to stave off the civil lawsuit which ultimately was filed Monday in Florida.

Another source tells us the settlement package that Santana eventually offered was in the seven figures ... but the alleged victim rejected it.

Santana has claimed the sexual encounter was consensual.

New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana allegedly knocked up the woman who accused him of raping her last year ... according to a new civil lawsuit.



TMZ obtained the documents filed Monday in Florida state court by a Jane Doe.

In the docs, the victim describes the encounter which allegedly occurred on October 27, 2009 near Santana's home in Fort Myers, FL.

According to the papers, the alleged victim states that Santana lured her "by use of false pretenses to a remote, outdoor area" -- and that Santana then forcibly penetrated her as she begged him to stop.

The suit does not mention whether Jane Doe is still pregnant. She is suing him for sexual battery, sexual assault, and false imprisonment.

Santana has admitted having sex with the alleged victim, but says it was consensual.

A Lee County Sheriff's report stated that the criminal case was dropped because "there is insufficient evidence to prove lack of consent beyond a reasonable doubt."

New York Mets ace Johan Santana 'fessed up to having sex with the woman who accused him of sexual battery  -- but claimed she was "excited" about the encounter, according to the sheriff's report.



As TMZ first reported, a Fort Myers, Florida woman accused the major league pitcher of attacking her last October. A Lee County Sheriff's Department detective interviewed Santana one week after the alleged crime, according to documents first posted by The Smoking Gun.

The report states that during a videotaped interview Santana said the accuser approached him while he was playing tennis and asked him to go for a walk.  Santana said they kissed during the walk and she "seemed very excited and forward towards me," according to the report.

His description of the sexual encounter is very similar to the alleged victim's description -- with two big differences.

First, she claims her right leg was bruised when Santana grabbed it during the alleged attack -- but in the report Santana claims he noticed the bruise the day before the encounter ... and even "asked her how she had gotten the bruise."

Secondly, in the report Santana says the accuser "never once told me to stop or 'No' during our sexual encounter."

The detective states that a DNA sample was taken from Santana, and that it matched the DNA collected from the accuser's clothing.

The report says the case was not prosecuted because "there is insufficient evidence to prove lack of consent beyond a reasonable doubt."

TMZ has learned New York Mets star pitcher Johan Santana was accused in a police report of sexual battery that allegedly went down on a Florida golf course ... but the case went nowhere.



TMZ obtained a copy of the report filed with the Lee County Sheriff's Office on October 28, 2009 -- one day after the alleged attack in Fort Myers.  In the document, the accuser (referred to only as Jane Doe) claims she and Santana were walking on the golf course when he "began to kiss her and pull up her top, unclasping her bra."

The report continues: "Johan began to pull at [the accuser's] skirt/skort and attempt [sic] to place his hands into her underwear."  According to the document the alleged victim "told Johan no multiple times but Johan persisted."

The report gets more graphic, when the accuser claims Santana penetrated her, grabbed and bruised her calf, and "ejaculated on her upper thigh."

The accuser claims she "cleaned her thigh with her underwear" -- and then returned to a tennis court with Santana, and actually watched him play tennis with someone else.

According to the report, a detective collected all of the accuser's clothing as evidence.

A spokesperson from the Sheriff's Office tells TMZ Sheriff's detectives met several times with the prosecutor from the State's Attorney's Office to review the case.  Law enforcement sources say DNA evidence did prove there was intercourse, but, according to a Sheriff's document, the prosecutor concluded, "There was not enough evidence to prove lack of consent, the alleged victim's statement is not consistent with other witnesses."  The case was closed out on December 8, 2009.

We contacted Santana's rep, who said, "Johan denied the charges and was never charged with anything.  As far as the law enforcement side of this goes, the case is closed."

Johan spoke in the Mets' locker room before today's 
game -- check out his statement.

We took your questions on everything -- including Bruce Beresford-Redman's extradition request, Joe Jackson suing Dr. Murray for wrongful death and Mets star pitcher Johan Santana accused of sexual battery.




Plus: Lawrence Taylor officially charged with rape.