Following numerous delay’s Vanessa Bryant’s court case against Los Angeles County is now in motion. Bryant is suing the county over photos of Gianna and Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash site, which were reportedly taken and circulated by first responders who showed up on the scene. Vanessa claims she’s experienced “emotional distress” as a result of the situation, a notion that’s been questioned by L.A. County’s legal team. The trial has included a number of notable developments thus far and, more recently, a sheriff’s deputy who reportedly snapped photos took the stand to testify, saying that he “didn’t do anything wrong.”
This past week, Sheriff’s Deputy Doug Johnson testified in federal court, where he addressed the pictures that he took at the Calabasas helicopter crash site in 2020. Johnson claims that he hiked through the woods for over an hour to reach the site and took 25 photos. According to CBS News Los AngelesSome of the images showed close-ups taken of body parts. Johnson stated that he had sent the photos to the command post deputy by text. Johnson also testified that he sent photos to a county fire supervisor unidentified.
Doug Johnson said that it was not unprofessional for him to keep the photos on his cell phone. He lost the phone a year later in Las Vegas. In his estimation, it’s “common practice”It was a county official’s duty to distribute the photos among themselves. The sheriff’s deputy went on to say that “photographs are the most accurate and thorough way to document” crash sites and that he’d used his phone in similar situations “thousands of times.” Johnson also stated that later that night, he deleted the images from his cell, along with a text thread with the command post’s deputy.
Christopher Chester and Vanessa Bryant, the husband and wife of Christopher Chester who died in the crash, claimed that the images were sent to at least 10 other people after they were sent by the law enforcement officer. The lawyers for Vanessa Bryant and Christopher Chester claim that these images were sent out to at least 10 others after the law enforcement official sent them out. During the trial L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Joey Cruz was alleged to have shown patrons the photos at a bar/grill. In court, Victor Gutierrez, bartender, claimed that he laughed at claims.He denied that he had done so when he was shown the images.
Many have spoken about Vanessa Bryant’s personal effects on 2020. Apart from the photos taken first responders, her legal staff has Also, taunting messages were posted to social mediain the proceedings. Only posts sent after the proceedings can be used. Deaths of Gianna, KobeThe identities of the seven other passengers on board the helicopter became public.
Other legal issues have arisen from the Kobe Bryant photos, such as the lawsuit brought by Christopher Chester. Like Bryant’s widow, Chester is suing for negligence and invasion of privacy over the photos being taken. Although it appeared that the two cases might be combined, L.A. County countered that Chester could not ride Vanessa’s “coattails,”So to speak. Another suit was also filed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s union in relation to the release of the final internal affairs reports on the crash. That Bryant-related case settled, though.
Testimony in Vanessa Bryant and L.A. County’s court case is set to continue today. Bryant could get the millions of dollars she is currently seeking if Bryant is found guilty of violating the rules and photos distributed to her favor at trial.