Kobe Bryant Widow Vanessa Prepares For Jury Selection
In January 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash, along with seven others. That alone was difficult enough for Kobe’s widow Vanessa, but the pain didn’t end there.
Shortly after the crash happened, someone working on the accident scene leaked gruesome photos of the wreckage. Vanessa Bryant did not consent for the photos to circulate and is now seeking legal action against the responsible parties. Jury selection is about to take place.
Photos of Kobe Bryant’s accident were leaked to the community
All eyes were on the hills of Calabasas, California on the morning of January 26, 2020. For several hours, rumors on social media went around that NBA legend Kobe Bryant had been in a tragic helicopter crash and that his teenage daughter Gianna was with him. Sadly, those rumors proved to be true. Soon, the news was everywhere.
It was a living nightmare for Kobe’s widow Vanessa. But the situation went from tragic to absolutely horrific when she learned that grisly photos of the scene were making their rounds. The only ones who could have taken those photos were responders at the scene. Vanessa was rightly angry and decided to pursue legal action.
CBS News reports that “Vanessa Bryant’s invasion of privacy trial against the departments is being held in a U.S. District Court just over a mile from where Kobe Bryant played most of his career with the Lakers.”
Vanessa Bryant is seeking an “unspecified amount of money in compensation” for damages. She claims the deputies involved in the aftermath of the crash didn’t take photos for investigative purposes. Instead, she asserts that the responders took photos for their own personal gain and shared them with firefighters, off-duty colleagues, and even bar patrons in one incident. CBS News also reports the lawsuit accuses deputies of purposefully engaging in a cover-up to destroy evidence of the leaked crash scene photos.
“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 reports. “She lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”
The county isn’t willing to cooperate with Vanessa Bryant’s demands
While Vanessa Bryant is angry with the people who leaked the photos, she’s also angry with the helicopter charter company and the late pilot. The crash was deemed to be partially due to pilot error. Bryant proceeded to sure the helicopter company as well as the pilot’s estate. However, these cases managed to reach a settlement.
Regarding the leaked photos, the county argues that Vanessa Bryant is suffering from emotional distress due to Kobe and Gianna’s deaths in the first place. The county doesn’t believe that the photos have anything to do with the situation. They were reportedly deleted by the sheriff’s department and have never been in the media or publically available online. The county is not responding well to Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit over the crash scene photos and is calling it a “money grab.”
Even so, lawmakers created a new law after the crash which made it illegal for first responders to take photos of bodies without proper authorization.
After jurors are selected, there will likely be more updates on the case. Keep checking back for more details.
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