- Vanessa Bryant is suing the LA County Sheriff’s office.
- The widow of basketball legend Kobe Bryant is alleging that deputies took cell phone photos of the helicopter accident that claimed the lives her husband and her daughter, Gianna — and subsequently leaked them.
- This gross behavior caused her extreme emotional distress, and she should sue the department for every last penny they have.
Vanessa Bryant is bringing legal firepower to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.
Kobe Bryant’s widow has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages for what she’s calling “extreme emotional distress” after the Alex Villanueva-led agency took cell phone photos of the helicopter accident that claimed Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s lives, along with the lives of seven other victims, and subsequently leaked them.
The behavior of these deputies is beyond disgusting, and here’s hoping Bryant takes them for everything they’ve ever been worth.
Vanessa Bryant Didn’t Deserve This
TMZ obtained a copy of the lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. According to the paperwork:
No fewer than 8 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.
What’s more, Bryant alleges that when one of the deputies showed off the photos in a bar — and a bartender called the sheriff’s department to report the violation — Sheriff Villanueva tried to cover it up by telling the deputies that they wouldn’t face discipline if they deleted the photos.
Ms. 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.
No one deserves to be victimized like this — but Vanessa Bryant deserves it least of all.
She’s still in pain over Kobe Bryant’s death, as evidenced in the video below.
Where’s the Morality?
While we can certainly have a long discussion about why outlets like TMZ reported about Kobe Bryant’s death before Vanessa Bryant was informed, there’s something macabre and gross about sheriff’s deputies not only taking photos of dead people at a crash site but subsequently showing it off in an attempt to impress someone in a bar.
What is wrong with us as a society?
Not everything needs to be shared. Not everything needs to be done for “clout.” And certainly, not everything needs a photo taken as a “memory.” It’s safe to say that the helicopter crash that claimed Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s life, along with the lives of seven other people, falls in that “not everything” category.
What the sheriff’s deputies have done is wildly inappropriate and disgusting. Vanessa Bryant should take them for every last dollar they’re worth.
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Aaron Weaver edited this article for CCN.com. If you see a breach of our Code of Ethics or find a factual, spelling, or grammar error, please contact us.
