4:00 PM UPDATE: Jurors have reached a verdict in Vanessa Bryant’s invasion of privacy lawsuit against Los Angeles County. Will be read shortly.
Previous Report:
Jurors began deliberating Wednesday in the civil case over graphic photos taken at the site of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people.
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, claims emergency responders from Los Angeles County personally shared those images, violating her privacy and causing emotional distress.
Bryant and the families of the other victims are seeking $75 million.
Evidence presented at trial showed that a sheriff’s deputy showed a photo of Bryant’s body to a bartender as he drank, spurring an official complaint from another man drinking nearby, and that firefighters shared them with each other at an awards banquet. Others shared them with spouses.
An attorney for the county said the photos had been taken only because they were essential for assessing the site moments after the crash, and that when Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva learned they were being shared, he demanded they all be deleted.
No photos emerged publicly, but Vanessa Bryant said she has constant worry that some still might.
During closing statements Wednesday, an attorney representing L.A. County argued Vanessa Bryant is “out for revenge” because of her grief.
