Vanessa Bryant has filed a lawsuit against L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his department for released unauthorized photos of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Kobe Bryant, and their daughter in January.
Bryant claimed photos of the Lakers icon and his daughter were leaked and shared online.
The lawsuit also alleged that she was not contacted by authorities about the helicopter crash, which left her feeling “confused and distraught.” She learned about the death of her husband and her daughter through an employee and various social media posts.
The lawsuit also says, “No fewer than eight sheriff’s deputies at the crash site, pulled out their personal cell phones and snapped photos of the dead children, parents and coaches. The deputies took these photos for their own personal gratification.”
Worse, she said L.A. law enforcement not involved with the case even shared photos of the crash “outside of the department.”
“In the week following the accident, a deputy trainee showed off photos of the victims’ remains at the Baja California Bar & Grill in Norwalk, Calif.—nearly 50 miles from the crash,” the filing read.
Vanessa further claimed that Sheriff Villanueva didn’t launch an investigation regarding the leaked photos but merely asked the deputies to “delete the photos” but did not impose any disciplinary action.
Sheriff Villanueva reportedly reassured Vanessa that photographers will not be allowed to photos at the crash, he allegedly didn’t ensure that his own department wouldn’t.
The lawsuit said Vanessa Bryant “feels ill at the thought of strangers gawking at images of her deceased husband and child, and she lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”
For their part, the LASD released a statement saying, “Shortly following this tragic crash, Sheriff Villanueva sponsored legislation which now makes it a crime for public safety personnel to take or share non-official pictures of this nature. As a result of the swift actions we took under extraordinary circumstances, no pictures made it into the public arena. We continue to offer our heartfelt sympathies for the victims and their families.”