Kobe Bryant’s widow disavows her husband’s body photos: I feel betrayed

Vanessa Bryant has filed a lawsuit against police officers who photographed the body of the NBA star and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, on Saturday launched harsh criticism of police officers who illegally photographed the bodies of the NBA star and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and released them, two of nine helicopter crash victims, in January 2020.

“I feel devastated, hurt and betrayed by the county employees who posted the photos,” she told reporters outside the Los Angeles courthouse, adding that she had not seen the photos, and she wanted to remember her husband and daughter.

The comments come on the eighth day of the trial opposing Vanessa and Chris Chester – who lost his wife and daughter in the same accident – against Los Angeles police, after a number of clients showed pictures of the bodies of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, to friends and acquaintances, in a California bar.

Kobe’s widow, considered one of the best basketball players of all time, claims that the publication of the photos violated the privacy of the victims, causing “extreme pain” to their family members, and is demanding compensation, according to the American press, “several million dollars.”

Vanessa also adds that this situation has led to her suffering “emotional stress”, due to constantly living in fear of her three other daughters seeing the pictures.

On the other hand, the LAPD claims that the photos did not make it onto the Internet, and for this reason, there is no reason to believe that this could happen in the future. The agents called to testify also ensured that all photos of the accident, including those shared with third parties, were deleted.

In 2021, investigators came to the conclusion that the pilot of the helicopter that killed nine victims, including the Los Angeles Lakers legend, lost control of the car due to fog, adding that he did not comply with established flight protocols for such a situation.

The airline to which the helicopter belongs was also the subject of a lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant, who reached an agreement for compensation.