Vanessa Bryant Wins Kobe Bryant's Graphic Photos Legal Case [REPORT]
Over a year after the horrific helicopter crash happened, Vanessa Bryant triumphed the legal battle against the yet-to-be-named Sheriff's deputies.
Vanessa alleges that Sheriff's deputies snapped pictures of the scenes and victims' bodies shortly after Kobe and Gigi died. The people in question reportedly shared the images without permission.
Thus, she is seeking damages, including punitive damages.
The matriarch previously opposed the argument served by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. The authorities previously argued that the names of the deputies involved in sharing the photos should be kept out of the limelight.
It also reasoned out that the revelation of the deputies' identities might harm them
But in a report published by The LA Times, it has been revealed that the judge ruled in favor of Vanessa.
The win allows her to obtain the names of the deputies from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department who allegedly took and distributed the graphic photos from the helicopter crash site.
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U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ruled in favor of Vanessa, writing that the attention should not outweigh the public's interest in access.
"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," he said, as quoted by TMZ.
The county will have the chance to appeal the ruling, although its plans after the ruling have not been made public yet.
Kobe Bryant's Lawsuit
This is not the first time Vanessa filed a lawsuit and fought for her late husband and daughter.
To recall, she filed the wrongful death lawsuit in February 2020. In the document she forwarded to Los Angeles Superior Court, Vanessa said that the pilot Ara Zobayan was irresponsible for flying despite weather conditions.
The families of other victims - John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, and Christina Mauser - also submitted separate legal actions to support Vanessa.
The two other lawsuits against the Island Express Helicopters said that the company was negligent. The documents insisted that the company failed to maintain their responsibility to "own, lease, manage, maintain, control, entrust, charter, and operate the helicopter in a reasonable manner."
This year, the National Transportation Safety Board released an official statement and blamed the pilot for the crash.
