Vanessa Bryant has won her case to release the names of the four Los Angeles Country sheriff's deputies who allegedly shared photos of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi.

In a report by Richard Winton of Los Angeles Times, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ruled that the deputies can be named despite the efforts made by LA County lawyers to keep the identities of the culprits sealed.

The lawyers argued that releasing the names would lead to the deputies being targeted by hackers, especially given the popularity of the Lakers icon –ith Judge Walter saying there was “a strong presumption of access as a starting point.” However, the judge said the county “failed to show compelling reasons to do otherwise.”

“Although the Court recognizes that this case has been the subject of public scrutiny and media attention and that the Deputy Defendants are legitimately concerned that they will encounter vitriol and social media attacks, such concerns, by themselves, are not sufficient to outweigh the public’s strong interest in access,” the judge added, ruling in favor of the wife of the Lakers legend.

The decision will now allow Vanessa Bryant and her legal team to add the names of the deputies to an amended complaint in her civil rights lawsuit against the county and Sherriff's Department regarding the leaked crash photos of Kobe Bryant.

A report by the LA Times last year detailed that deputies had shared photos of the crash site, with filings submitted by Vanessa's lawyers detailing how the photos were acquired, as well as accusing one deputy of taking photos at the site.

Seven other people were killed alongside the Lakers great and her daughter Gigi in the crash in January last year. The group was on their way to Thousand Oaks, California to attend a basketball game in the Mamba Academy of Kobe.