Vanessa Bryant Scores Major Victory In Case Against Los Angeles County Sheriff

Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa Bryant won a major legal battle in her lawsuit against the Los Angeles County, with a court order compelling the sheriff and fire chief to answer questions under oath regarding images of her late husband and daughter.

USA Today reports that U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Eick granted Bryant's request to force the pretrial deposition testimony of L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and County Fire Chief Daryl Osby, two of the top public safety officials in the region.

Bryant sued the county for invasion of privacy and negligence, alleging that employees at the county sheriff and fire department shared images of human remains from the helicopter crash that killed her spouse, daughter, and seven others in January 2020.

Gianni and her father Kobe Bryant

Judge Eick ruled that Sheriff Villanueva and Fire Chief Osby appear to have “unique firsthand, non-repetitive knowledge relevant to the issues in this case” that is “not entirely obtainable” through other sources.

The ruling is a major defeat for the county which attempted to block their testimony, with the argument that as heads of government agencies, Villaneuva and Osby “are not normally subject to deposition, absent extraordinary circumstances.”

The trial is scheduled for February 2022 and Bryant is seeking compensatory and punitive damages to make an example of the deputy defendants.