Vanessa Bryant claims she is afraid that internet trolls might release photographs of her husband Kobe, and their daughter just moments after the crash.
Bryant stated that knowledge photos that showed the deaths of her husband, and her daughter, were “out there” and caused her constant fear and anxiety. She also said she had trouble sleeping due to depression. However, she says that the internet has threatened her with sharing the horrific photos online.
She was forced to detail her anxiety in a declaration filed with LA County with whom she has an ongoing lawsuit, after suing the city’s sheriff’s department for invasion of privacy after the photos were leaked in the wake of the January 2020 smash which also killed the Bryants’ 13 year-old daughter Gianna.
Bryant said she had seen one photograph of her husband’s dead body and that she was sickened to see “Kobe Bryant Body” pop up on Google as a suggestion when she enters the name of her deceased husband. Six family members of Bryant and the pilot from the helicopter also lost their lives in the crash.
Vanessa Bryant presented documents at court to explain why she felt’sick and mad’ about LA County employees sharing photos of her husband with the daughter.
Lakers legend Bryant, 41 and Gianna Bryant, 13 also lost their lives onboard the helicopter when they flew to an NBA tournament. In November 2019, the above photo shows them together.
In documents seen by TMZ, Bryant details how she asked Sheriff Alex Villanueva on the day of the crash, January 26, 2020, to secure the crash site and not allow anyone to take photographs after learning there were no survivors.
The Sheriff was informed by her: “If my husband and baby can’t be brought back, please ensure that no one photographs them.”
One month later she discovered that Sheriff’s Deputies and Firefighters were sharing photos taken of Gianna’s remains.
Vanessa stated that she was in a panic after finding the information and worried about their being leaked online.
After the tragic helicopter crash, firefighters were present at the scene. Vanessa asserts that first responders distributed photos of victims including her husband, and daughter in the aftermath.
Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant are seen together (top right) in a family photograph.
In spite of being told by the county they had been deleted, she believes that about 20 people obtained copies.
Vanessa admits in the papers that she saw one picture of the remains her deceased husband.
‘Since seeing the photo, my thoughts have been flooded with questions about its origin and whether it shows my husband. The fact that those I believed would protect my husband’s dignity and the dignity of our daughter, abused their positions in order to acquire souvenirs of the deaths of the couple is a source of frustration. “I imagine Kobe looking over the crash site, and I feel overwhelmed by anger and emotion,” Vanessa wrote.
“It makes me sick to think that firefighters and deputies have looked at photographs of my child and husband without any explanation. She continued, “I feel sadness and anger that pictures of my husband and daughter were shared at an awards dinner.”
Vanessa Bryant (wife of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant) gave an affidavit in which she described how she heard about the fatal helicopter crash last year that resulted in his death and their little girl Gianna’s death. Pictured: Vanessa Bryant wipes away tears as she speaks during the ‘Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant’ service at Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles on February 24, 2020
Vanessa mentions that she’s constantly concerned about pictures being found online, with some trolls even promising to release the images. Her children might be among those who discover them in the future, she is especially concerned.
“For the rest my life, one thing will happen. Either close-up photographs of my husband and my daughter’s bodies online will become viral, or I’ll continue living in terror of this happening.
Bryant sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department because Bryant claims that the first responders incorrectly shared his photos.
She revealed in a sworn statement in October that she first learned of the crash, which occurred around 9.45am, when her assistant knocked on the door about 11.30am and told her there had been an accident.
She said she tried in vain to reach her husband, who was on the helicopter with Gianna and other youth basketball players and coaches as she started getting notifications on her phone, sharing condolences for Kobe’s death.
Vanessa was informed by the sheriff hours later that Kobe, 41 and Gianna had both died.
Vanessa said in her deposition in October that LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva vowed to keep the crash scene private moments after informing her that Kobe and Gianna were dead
Bryant claimed that Alex Villanueva, the LA Sheriff, vowed not to reveal details of the crash site after being informed that Kobe was dead and Gianna had died.
However, soon after, she says, firefighters, sheriff’s officers, and first responders shared images of Kobe Bryant with one another. The bartender was passing out ‘gratuitous’ photos of dead parents, children, coaches, and other family members.
One man showed a photograph from his cell phone to Baja California Bar and Grill. He then shouted to staff and patrons, that he just saw an image of Kobe Bryant.
Bryant claims in her suit that she’s suffered’severe emotion distress’ due to the display of photos. This has added on top of the grief of losing her husband, and daughter.
Los Angeles County claims that while this conduct was inexcusable, the showing of a photograph to one person does not amount to invasion of privacy.
According to the county the photographs were not posted online or shared by the media and were therefore not publicly disseminated.
Kobe Bryant (left) and Gianna Bryant (right), pictured in July 2018,
This file photo was taken January 26, 2021. It shows people gathered in front of the mural featuring former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, and Gianna Bryant, his daughter. The image is by artist sloe_motions.