Kobe’s widow sues for breach of privacy
The grieving widow of basketball star Kobe Bryant learnt of his death on social media and was subjected to disturbing images allegedly leaked by Los Angeles County employees, according to a court deposition.
Vanessa Bryant, 39, is suing Los Angeles County and several of its agencies, alleging invasion of privacy.
Kobe, 41, and their daughter, Gianna, 13, were killed in a helicopter crash, alongside six family friends and the pilot, in January 2020.
In court papers, Vanessa Bryant has claimed that she experienced severe emotional distress that compounded the pain of losing her husband and daughter. She alleges firefighters and deputies shared photographs of Kobe’s body and passed around “gratuitous photos of the dead children, parents and coaches”.
In a video deposition this month, which has been obtained by USA Today, Vanessa Bryant shared details of the day Kobe was killed. She paused several times to regain composure and held her hand to a screen to shield her eyes from images of the crash site.
“I do not want my little girls or me to ever have to see their remains,” she said. “Nor do I think it’s right the photographs were taken.
“Now I’ll live the rest of my life having to fear those photographs surfacing. It is something that I have to deal with every single day.”
Vanessa Bryant said she had been told of the crash soon after it occurred and was wrongly informed that several passengers had survived.
Then suddenly a string of social media notifications started popping up on her phone reading “RIP Kobe”.