After the helicopter crash that resulted in the death of Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter Gianna Bryant (back in 2020), it was reported that the first responders circulated photographs of the crash site. As a result, the NBA legend’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, filed a lawsuit against L.A. County, which is moving forward slowly but surely. The case’s latest details include: “emotional distress”Instagram and Twitter are the heart of the matter.
Previously, the presiding judge scolded both Vanessa Bryant’s legal team and the defense for putting forth hundreds of pages in court concerning exhibits that had no “semblance of order.”Two camps were supposed to be ordered to pare down the evidence to the most essential pieces, so that there would not be any ambiguity. “never-ending battle.” Alas, no such luck because it seems now that it’s a battle over what is and is not important. According to documents obtained from the district court Law & Crime, L.A. County is fighting heavily for Bryant’s Instagram posts to be included in the upcoming trial. They see the words and images as they are. “critical”To determine how much damage (or how little!) the crashed photos caused, “emotional distress”As she claims. These are the questions they would like to discuss in court with her:
What was Plaintiff saying about her family’s loss, the helicopter accident, and the issues raised in this lawsuit? What was she sharing about her life and what she was doing?
The filing Nearly 90 different Instagram posts are attached from the 40-year-old mother’s account. Among them are images related to Kobe Bryant’s now-called Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, Vanessa’s laughing selfies and magazine cover shoots. There are also several posts that show her posing with other celebs – like Vin Diesel, Tyrese, JLo, Ciara, Kris Jenner and more – as well as in various countries for family vacations. The outlet noted that one post – where Vanessa was dressed up as Disney’s Cruella de Vil for Halloween and made comments about “revenge” being part of the grieving process – might be particularly damaging for her suit.
The implication from L.A. County appears to be that if the late basketball star’s wife is claiming emotional distress, that doesn’t seem to be the case based on her Instagram feed. These exhibits would need to be seen by a jury in order for them to assess whether or not the crash site photos are the true cause of the distress.
Plaintiff’s emotional state is at the center of this case, and there is little more revealing of Plaintiff’s emotional state than her own words about her life, sadness, the targets of her anger, her activities, and other stressors that could contribute to any emotional distress.
Vanessa Bryant opposes these posts from being part of the August trial. She argues that the lavish photos and star-studded lifestyle could bias the jury towards her. In other words, if they see she lives a rather comfortable lifestyle (one that she’s technically always had since marrying Kobe back in 2001), then they might decide the outcome based on need rather than fairness. She alleges too that the defense’s exhibits are not only irrelevant but also confusing and unnecessary.
The judge is expected in the coming weeks to rule on the Instagram posts. Meanwhile, the sports community continues to mourn the loss to the former Los Angeles Lakers player. Homage was famously paid to Kobe Bryant on ESPN’s The Last DanceDocuseries now available to Netflix subscribers to stream. ESPY Award acceptance speech. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warrior of Golden State, also honored Kobe, and his daughter Gigi, on July 20, which Vanessa responded to via Instagram. Thompson was a ‘great guy. “class act.”
She has been steadfast as well in her tributes to her late husband and daughter on social media, to include the rather heartbreaking message last August on what was supposed to be the Black Mamba’s 42nd birthday. Hopefully the lawsuit is resolved quickly.