Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County, seeking damages for the emotional distress caused by the alleged unauthorized sharing of images of Kobe and Gianna Bryant after their tragic deaths.
The trial for Vanessa Bryant’s legal case against Los Angeles County, focusing on the photos taken at the helicopter crash site where Kobe Bryant lost his life, began recently. In his opening statements, Vanessa’s attorney Luis Li highlighted the impact the images had on the widow of the NBA legend.
Li claimed that the cellphone pictures taken at the crash site by a deputy and a fire captain were shared as “visual gossip” for amusement, with no legitimate purpose.
“They were shared amongst deputies like a game for entertainment,” Li stated, as reported by ESPN. “They were repeatedly exchanged with individuals who had no valid reason to possess them.”
Li mentioned that a witness reported Deputy Joey Cruz displaying graphic images of Kobe from his phone at a local bar. He showed the jury footage of Deputy Cruz in a bar in Norwalk, revealing the officer displaying something on his phone to a bartender who then walked away.
“January 26, 2020, was and always will be the worst day of Vanessa Bryant’s life,” Li allegedly said to the jury. “County personnel exploited the tragedy by capturing and distributing photos of Kobe and Gianna as mementos. …They worsened an irreparable wound.”
Li described how first responders roamed around the crash site taking images of the deceased bodies from the helicopter crash, including close-ups of body parts and burnt remains. The attorney stated that it was beyond belief.
He played audio for the jury where an officer indicated his wife did not want to see the photos because he described them as “piles of meat,” according to Rolling Stone.
On January 26, 2020, Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of seven others, including young Payton Chester and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan.
