BY: Walker
Published 3 years ago
Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit last year against the county of Los Angeles, the L.A. County Fire Department, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and multiple deputies in which she claims that graphic and unauthorized photos of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, her 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others were taken and shared.
via: Revolt
According to a Saturday (Oct. 16) report from Deadline, Los Angeles County has asked Vanessa to submit a psychiatric evaluation for the lawsuit she’s filing against them. The case stems from county fire and sheriff’s department employees sharing photos of from the scene of the crash that killed Kobe, Gianna and seven other passengers in Calabasas, California on Jan. 26, 2020.
L.A. County wants Vanessa and others in the suit to take the exam to determine whether their emotional distress was caused by the sharing of the photos or the crash itself. L.A. County is arguing that it was the latter.
According to L.A. County, Bryant and the others are suing them for tens of millions of dollars for a case that hinges on the way their mental state was affected by the events of January 2020. They say that, despite this, Vanessa and company have refused to submit to any independent medical examinations. The trial is set to begin in February.
This news arrives a couple of months after what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 43rd birthday. On that day, Vanessa used an Instagram post featuring an image of herself and Kobe to commemorate the occasion.
When Kobe was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this past May, she shared some touching words on his legacy as she accepted his induction.
“There will never be anyone like Kobe. Kobe was one of a kind. He was special, he was humble off the court but bigger than life,” she said. “To all of our close friends and family that have been present for my girls and I, thank you. That list is long and it takes a village but know that your kindness and love does not go unappreciated. I know that Kobe is thankful that you’re all coming through for his girls.”
Earlier this year, Vanessa and the families of other crash victims settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the charter company and the estate of the operating helicopter pilot responsible for the deadly crash in January of 2020.