Vanessa Bryant is taking the initial steps to sue the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department over Kobe Bryant helicopter crash photos, per PEOPLE.
Vanessa's legal claim seeks damages for emotional distress and mental anguish:
Vanessa Bryant filed a legal claim on Friday in regard to a collection of unauthorized photographs taken by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials that show the aftermath of the Jan. 26 helicopter crash that killed her husband, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
The claim, exclusively obtained by PEOPLE, seeks damages for emotional distress and mental anguish following the revelation that eight L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputies took graphic photographs of the victims and shared them with unauthorized people. This happened despite Vanessa personally speaking to Sheriff Alex Villanueva on the morning of the crash to request the site be secured for privacy.
“In reality, however, no fewer than eight sheriff’s deputies were at the scene snapping cell-phone photos of the dead children, parents, and coaches,” the document asserts. “As the Department would later admit, there was no investigative purpose for deputies to take pictures at the crash site. Rather, the deputies took photos for their own personal purposes.”
Vanessa tragically lost Gigi and Kobe Bryant in that tragic helicopter crash back in January. Seeing the crash pictures only worsened Vanessa's emotional distress, per the claim. These photos even resulted in new legislation being introduced to combat this sort of thing.
Vanessa gave a moving speech at Kobe and Gigi's public memorial at Staples Center. It is unknown at this time if she will be present when Kobe Bryant gets inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year.
Along with Kobe and Gianna, the helicopter crash also claimed the lives of Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan.
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