Vanessa Bryant Accuses LA Sheriffs of Destroying Evidence in Lawsuit

By Norman Dotson Published: November 10, 2021

Vanessa Bryant Accuses LA Sheriffs of Destroying Evidence in Lawsuit

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2020, file photo, Vanessa Bryant speaks during a celebration of life for her husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna in Los Angeles. Bryant on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County sheriff claiming negligence, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress after deputies allegedly shared unauthorized photos of the crash that killed her husband, their 13-year-old daughter and seven others. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

In Summary

Attorneys for Vanessa Bryant accuse Los Angeles County of destroying evidence in the ongoing case regarding photos of the tragic helicopter crash from last year.

Bryant claims evidence in her ongoing complaint against LA County was deleted on order of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. According to a report from USA Today, there was a promise from Villanueva to Bryant that his office would not allow any photographs to be disseminated.

Did Villanueva order deputies to destroy photos taken in order to reduce the chances of them getting out into the public eye? In court filings, LASD stated they conducted an investigation with interviews of 28 deputies, reserve deputies, sergeants and civilian volunteers. They determined all photos were in fact deleted from all devices in question.

In a motion filed recently, Bryant’s attorneys requested an “adverse inference” giving the jury the ability to infer that the evidence which was destroyed would have been damaging to the defense.

Bryant is one of two plaintiffs from the helicopter crash who are still in an ongoing litigation seeking compensation for the crash and emotional distress from photos which were initially leaked.

The trial is set to begin in February 2022.