Kobe Bryant – California Gov Signs New Bill Amid Late Athlete’s Crash Site Photo Scandal & Vanessa Bryant’s Lawsuit

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant – California Gov Signs New Bill Amid Late Athlete’s Crash Site Photo Scandal & Vanessa Bryant’s Lawsuit

Vanessa Bryant recently filed a lawsuit against the  L.A. County Sheriff Department, for allegedly sharing photos of the site of the helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe Bryant, their 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven other victims on Jan. 26th.

Her lawsuit is already creating change in California, as Gov. Gavin Newsom has just signed a new bill that makes it illegal for unauthorized photos of deceased people to be taken at a crime scene by first responders.

Eight deputies allegedly shot cellphone photos of the bodies of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant at the site for their own personal gratification at the crash site on Jan. 26th.

In the lawsuit, Vanessa Bryant said that the leaked photos caused her “severe emotional distress.”

She added that the photos were the center of discussion within the sheriff’s department as it was shared with other colleagues who were not involved in the investigation.

The photos were allegedly exposed when one deputy was at a bar and he showed the graphic pictures to a woman trying to impress her. A bartender allegedly overheard the conversation and called the sheriff’s department with a tip of what was heard.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says that a policy is already in place restricting deputies from taking and sharing crime scene photos, the policy apparently does not apply to an accident scene.

Vanessa Bryant’s lawyer said:

“This lawsuit is about accountability and about preventing this disgraceful behavior from happening to other families in the future who have suffered loss.” 

She added:

“The department formally refused Mrs. Bryant’s requests for information saying it was ‘unable to assist’ with any inquiry and had no legal obligation to do so.  It’s now for a court to tell the department what its obligations are.”

What are your thoughts on California’s new bill? Let us know in the comments!