FILE PHOTO: Fans gather around a mural to pay respects to Kobe Bryant after a helicopter crash killed the retired basketball star, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot
A trial begins Wednesday in Los Angeles in Vanessa Bryant’s invasion of privacy lawsuit regarding photos of her late husband Kobe Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in September 2020 seeks undisclosed damages and claims that members of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire departments shared gruesome images of the crash in unofficial settings, including to patrons in a bar.
“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 states. “She lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”
Los Angeles County officials have argued that the “severe and emotional and mental injuries” were not caused by the county or the photos but by the crash itself.
Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people perished in the crash in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 26, 2020.
Vanessa Bryant has also filed lawsuits against the helicopter charter company and the deceased pilot’s estate.
The county already agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a similar case brought by families of others who died in the crash, according to ESPN.
Kobe Bryant was 41 when he died. The Los Angeles Lakers great and 18-time All-Star won five NBA championships and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020.