Vanessa Bryant won a legal battle against Los Angeles County, resulting in the heads of the county’s sheriff and fire office answering questions under oath about photos of a deceased Kobe Bryant and their daughter, Gianna Bryant, as reported by USA Today.   

L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and County Fire Chief Daryl Osby must testify in a pretrial deposition, according to U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Eick. Eick approved Vanessa Bryant’s request, saying they have “unique firsthand, non-repetitive knowledge relevant to the issues in this case” that can’t be obtained in another way.  

She is suing the county for invasion of privacy and negligence, alleging employees shared photos of the human remains of her husband and daughter, who died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.   

“While we disagree with the court’s decision, we will make both the Sheriff and Fire Chief available for deposition,” Skip Miller, an attorney defending the county, said in a statement to USA Today. “Their testimony will not change the fact that there is no evidence any photos taken by County first responders have ever been publicly disseminated.”  

Bryant’s attorneys said in a court document, “Villanueva personally promised Mrs. Bryant that he would protect the remains of her husband and daughter from desecration by unauthorized photographers. He personally described the sharing of photos of human remains by law enforcement officers as a problem as old as the Polaroid camera, and he noted that police officers keep so-called ‘death books’ of such photos.”  

Last week, the county wanted Kobe Bryant’s widow to undergo a psychiatric exam to prove she experienced “severe emotional distress” from losing her husband and 13-year-old daughter.   

RELATED: Vanessa Bryant Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit with Helicopter Company and Pilot’s Estate