• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot
Law

Trial Over Kobe Bryant Crash Photos Gets Underway

  • Vanessa Bryant filed an invasion privacy lawsuit against L.A. County after the fatal helicopter crash in January 2020.
  • Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters took and shared photos of the crash site, images the lawsuit states were ‘gratuitous.’
Kobe Crash Trial
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

The legal fight over graphic photos of NBA great Kobe Bryant by first responders in Calabasas, Calif., culminates with a trial that gets underway at a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday. 

Vanessa Bryant said in a court filing that she lives in “fear that I and my daughters will one day be confronted online with the deputies’ or firefighters’ stash of photos” taken in the aftermath of the fatal helicopter crash that took the lives of her husband, daughter Gianna, and seven others in January 2020. 

Vanessa Bryant, who sued Los Angeles County in October 2020, seeks unspecified damages for violations of privacy. Bryant refused to settle the case as jury selection began Wednesday morning. 

According to the amended complaint, lawyers for Bryant alleged that at least 10 members of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department “obtained and possessed images of the victims’ remains on their personal cell phones without any legitimate reason for having them” within 48 hours of the crash.

“The gratuitous images also became a subject of gossip within the Department, as deputies shared them in settings that had nothing to do with investigating the accident,” the lawsuit stated.

“One deputy even showed off photos of the victims at a bar, identifying one of the individuals depicted as Kobe Bryant and bragging about how he had been at the crash site. Shocked and appalled, one of the bar patrons filed a written complaint with the sheriff’s department.”

L.A. County firefighters also possessed the photos, which were shared via text and AirDrop. Some firefighters shared the images amongst themselves during the Golden Mike Awards, which sparked a complaint to the L.A. County Fire Department’s internal affairs division from a wife of a firefighter who attended the news media awards show. 

“Given how many people had the photos, I am confident these were not the only times the photos were shown off,” Vanessa Bryant said in a court filing. 

The lawsuit states the photos had no investigative purpose.

Lawyers for L.A. County are expected to argue at trial that the loss of her husband and her daughter led to the emotional distress she detailed in the lawsuit, not the possible release of the photos.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Shannon Sharpe Out at ESPN Following Rape Suit Settlement

He’s been off-air since April, planning to return for the NFL season.
Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center.

Cooper Flagg Makes Mavericks, New Balance Debut in Win Over Bronny

Thursday marked Flagg’s first game donning New Balance shoes.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Marcus Morris

Marcus Morris Denies Fraud, Blames Mixup for $260K Casino Debt Arrest

Morris made roughly $107 million across 13 NBA seasons.
Jul 22, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (not in uniform) celebrates from the bench in the first quarter against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.
July 29, 2025

Man Who Stalked Clark Gets 2 Years in Prison

He sent more than 800 messages and visited Indianapolis to see Clark.
Apr 6, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) dribbles as New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) is screened by Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards (2) during the first half at Madison Square Garden.
July 30, 2025

Tensions Rise After Suns Fire Ex–Security Director

Phoenix faces a slew of lawsuits from former employees.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Katinka Hosszu
July 25, 2025

Swimmers Settle Bulk of Suit Against World Aquatics Over New League

The sides reached a deal earlier this summer.
Hockey Canada
July 24, 2025

Judge Finds All Five Former Hockey Canada Players Not Guilty of Sexual..

The judge said she did not find the accuser’s testimony “credible or reliable.”
Little League Baseball
July 23, 2025

Little Leaguer Gets Bat Flip Suspension Lifted by Judge

No Little League rule bans bat flipping.
Oneida Sports Wagering Lounge 02102022 0014
July 23, 2025

California Tribes Sue Kalshi and Robinhood

This is the latest in a series of lawsuits the prediction exchange is facing.