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A Los Angeles jury sided with Vanessa Bryant in her lawsuit against Los Angeles County over privacy claims after she alleged that pictures of the crash scene were shared among county officials, and ruled that the county must pay her $16 million.
Vanessa Bryant and Christopher Chester sued Los Angeles County and her attorneys claim that “close-up photos” were shared on multiple devices within the sheriff’s department and fire department, and members of the public.
Bryant’s invasion of privacy trial began on Aug. 10 and her attorney, Luis Li, said that the pictures taken at the helicopter crash scene by a fire captain and deputy were “visual gossip” viewed “for a laugh,” with no official purpose.
“They were shared by deputies playing video games,” Li said. “They were shared repeatedly with people who had absolutely no reason to receive them.”
The jury also ruled that the county must also pay Chester $15 million, whose wife and daughter died in the crash.
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, leaves a federal courthouse in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. Kobe Bryant’s widow is taking her lawsuit against the Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire departments to a federal jury, seeking compensation for photos deputies shared of the remains of the NBA star, his daughter and seven others killed in a helicopter crash in 2020.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The county’s attorney said that the pictures were an essential tool for first-responders who thought that some lives could have been saved at the crash scene.
Kobe Bryant, an NBA legend, was killed in the helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, along with his daughter and seven other people.
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The Associated Press and Fox News’ Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.
