UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT - MAY 15: Vanessa Bryant speaks on behalf of Class of 2020 inductee, Kobe Bryant during the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 15, 2021 in Uncasville, Connecticut. Kobe Bryant tragically died in a California helicopter crash on Jan 26, 2020. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles County filed a new motion on Friday in a lawsuit against them. As previously reported, Vanessa Bryant and other families have joined forces to sue the county for leaked images of the helicopter crash that killed nine people, including Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant. The county is requesting that Vanessa, her daughters and other people involved with the lawsuit submit to psychiatric exams.
Vanessa and other families are seeking “tens of millions of dollars.”
The lawsuit alleges that employees from the fire and sheriff’s department shared photos of the crash site. The settings were “irrelevant to the investigation, including a bar.” Therefore, their actions resulted in “civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress and violation of privacy.”
According to CNN, L.A. County is arguing that “independent medical examinations” are required to officially determine if their emotional distress was caused by the crash itself or the leaked photos.
The county claims that plaintiffs’ “cannot be suffering distress because the photos weren’t “publicly disseminated” or shown to them.
Vanessa Bryant Responds
Now, Vanessa’s team has responded to the motion. Her attorneys say the county should seek “less intrusive means” for evaluating emotional stress. If the court rules with the county, “four teenagers, a 10-year-old child, and a 5-year-old kindergartener” will have to undergo an eight-hour examination.
Vanessa’s attorneys also said that their client’s’ feelings are reasonable. They’re arguing that authorities did not “protect the dignity of their deceased family members.” Instead, they “snapped graphic photos of their loved ones’ remains, used the photos for cocktail hour entertainment, and failed to contain and secure the photos.”
Both sides will reunite at court on November 5 for a ruling. The trial won’t begin until February 2022. Earlier this year, Vanessa and other plaintiffs won a wrongful death lawsuit against the operator and other responsible parties of the helicopter that crashed.
This is a developing story.
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