It might seem obvious that a loving wife would have been mentally tormented when her spouse passed away due to an airplane crash and saw the actual images of the tragic event, but the LA County refuses to take this in face value in the case of Vanessa Bryant.

L.A. County officials reportedly want to put Vanessa Bryant through a psychological evaluation to see whether she's truly being tortured by the Kobe accident scene photographs that have been circulated.

Specifically, county prosecutors want the late Lakers star's widow (and others) suing them to prove they're suffering through the mental agony and grief they allege in their complaint to undergo a psychiatric assessment - by force via a judge's decision if need be.

Documents acquired by USA Today reveal the County's reasoning: Vanessa and her co-defendants claim they've been subjected to significant mental distress because of the accident scene photographs reportedly being circulated among the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's deputies, firefighters, and others.

Is there any way to tell if they're in pain because of the deaths of their loved ones, rather than because of photographs, which have allegedly only been seen by a limited number of people, anyway? County officials believe it's not possible to know the difference so they want actual tests to prove the anguish being alleged. Sounds crude but this is what the statement truly implies.

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The County's legal filing reportedly reads, "Despite putting their mental condition front and center in this case, Plaintiffs refuse to submit to independent medical examinations (IMEs)." It added, "The County brings this motion to compel IMEs of the Plaintiffs, which are necessary to evaluate the existence, extent and nature of Plaintiffs' alleged emotional injuries. Plaintiffs cannot claim that they are suffering from ongoing depression, anxiety and severe emotional distress and then balk at having to support their claims."

The legal team working for Vanessa countered that the County's discovery process was overreaching and going to extraordinary measures to defend what her attorney terms inexcusable conduct, and that this was nothing but a "scorched earth" strategy.

According to L.A. County, the photographs (which appeared to show off the remains of some of the victims that day) were reportedly shared solely with County workers and a bartender - and were never publicly distributed, according to the county.

The situation is becoming increasingly tense, and a court has yet to provide a decision on the latest development. A check of Vanessa Bryant's IG would tell anyone that she's still missing Kobe and Gigi Bryant.