In 12 untitled Instagram posts Wednesday night, Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, revealed the names of four deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who allegedly took or shared graphic photos of the Los Angeles County helicopter crash, who killed basketball legend and his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven others in January 2020.
The publications show an amended complaint, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, appointing defendants Joey Cruz, Rafael Mejia, Michael Russell and Raul Versales, as well as Los Angeles County, his department of sheriffs and the fire department. . He claims negligence, invasion of privacy and a violation of the 14th Amendment.
Earlier this month, a ruled the federal judge that Bryant could get the names of the deputies. Initially drafted, the department’s lawyers had wanted to keep their names and ranks sealed.
The lawsuit alleges that “deputies who responded to the crash scene used personal cell phones to take and share free photos of dead children, parents and coaches.” Depending on the case, Sheriff Alex Villanueva initially assured Bryant’s privacy when he expressed concern right after the incident.
The lawsuit alleges that a deputy took between 25 and 100 photos at the scene, which had “no conceivable investigable purpose and focused directly on the remains of the victims.”
The lawsuit says deputies’ actions, which spread photos by departments via text and AirDrop, are “morbid gossip.” The role of each deputy in sharing the photos with people who had nothing to do with the investigation is detailed.
Two days after the crash, at least 10 members of the department had obtained photos, according to the lawsuit.
In one case, the lawsuit claims Cruz showed the photos to a skipper and a bartender at a bar, “using his fingers to bring the phone closer.” The waiter told investigators Cruz showed him photos with remains of victims.
One of the bosses told investigators he found the situation “very, very disturbing,” calling Cruz’s behavior “very inappropriate.” He was so upset that he soon filed a complaint with the department.
In another case, the lawsuit alleges that Russell sent photos of the victims’ remains to a personal friend, who later indicated that the photos showed the remains of a child.
In addition, the lawsuit alleges that several of the officers mentioned made false statements about their possession of photographs of the crash site during a previous investigation by the department.
“We will refrain from dealing with this case in the media and wait for the right place,” Villanueva said he tweeted Wednesday night, appearing to refer to Bryant’s Instagram posts. “Our hearts go out to all the families affected by this tragedy.”