Vanessa Bryant has filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his department with claims the deputies took graphic photos on their personal cellphones of the helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. Bryant's suit also claims the department shared unauthorized photos of the crash, taken by those at the scene, according to multiple sources who obtained the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, is asking for damages "for negligence, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress."
CBS Sports reached out to the Los Angeles Sheriff's County Department Tuesday and a spokesperson said they do not yet have an official statement on the matter.
After the crash in late January, reports came out that photos of the scene and those killed in the accident were being shared with others outside of any investigation. Vanessa's lawyer explained how devastated and disturbed she was by the rumors graphic photos of her loved ones were being circulated, according to the report.
Sheriff Villanueva has earlier admitted that eight deputies took or shared graphic photos from the scene. He says he asked the photos to be deleted and added that while they do have a policy against taking and sharing photos from a crime scene, accident scenes are not included in such policy.
Following this incident, legislation was introduced that would make it a misdemeanor for first responders to take unauthorized photos of deceased people at the scene of an accident or crime. The bill has not yet been signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
