IRVINE, CA – JULY 26: Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant watch during day 2 of the Phillips 66 National Swimming Championships at the Woollett Aquatics Center on July 26, 2018 in Irvine, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The trial over Vanessa Bryant’s invasion of privacy lawsuit against Los Angeles County officials related to gruesome photos of Kobe Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash is set to begin this week.
The lawsuit claims that the January 2020 crash were shared by county fire and sheriff’s department employees in settings irrelevant to the investigation, including at a bar.
Vanessa Bryant is seeking millions in compensation. It was reported in 2021 that the pictures taken by first responders caused emotional distress.
“Mrs. Bryant feels ill at the thought that sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, and members of the public have gawked at gratuitous images of her deceased husband and child,” the lawsuit says. “She lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”
Sheriff’s Dept. under fire as trial starts over Kobe Bryant crash photos https://t.co/Q5EenPXWsv
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) August 10, 2022
‘Close-up photos’ of the NBA player and 13-year-old Gianna Bryant were found on the phones of dozens of firefighters and 28 sheriff’s officers.
Last October, Bryant called out the Los Angeles County sheriff and fire chief.
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“I just don’t understand how someone can have no regard for life and compassion and, instead, choose to take that opportunity to photograph lifeless and helpless individuals for their own sick amusement,” Bryant said in her deposition, via NBC News. “I want accountability.”
She also filed a lawsuit against the helicopter charter company and the deceased pilot’s estate.
Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and other parents and players were flying to a girls’ basketball tournament when their chartered helicopter crashed in the Calabasas hills in the midst of heavy fog on January 26, 2020.
