MPs accused of sharing photos of Kobe Bryant crash may be named, rules judge

The names of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies who allegedly shared photos of human remains in the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter cannot be withheld , decided a federal judge.

U.S. District Court Judge John F. Walter, who is overseeing a lawsuit brought by Bryant’s widow against the sheriff’s department, ruled Monday night that the public has a vested interest in whether agencies investigating and investigating adjudicating misconduct complaints had acted correctly and judiciously.

“While the Court recognizes that this case has received public scrutiny and media attention, and the Deputy Defendants have a legitimate fear of facing vitriolic and social media attacks, these concerns, in themselves, are not sufficient to outweigh the strong public opinion. interest in access ”, indicates the decision.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, sued Los Angeles County and its sheriff’s department in September, accusing county employees of “showing” photos of the remains of her husband and teenage daughter. The deputies have reportedly shared the photos among themselves and with others for no law enforcement reason, according to the lawsuit.

Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were killed along with seven other people when their helicopter crashed on the way to a youth basketball tournament in Thousand Oaks, Calif., January 29, 2020.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Tuesday that the sheriff is “committed to transparency and public safety while balancing the safety of employees in our department.”

He added that he was aware of the judge’s decision on Monday and intended to comply with the court order.

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He previously acknowledged that first responders, including MPs and Los Angeles County Fire Department employees, had taken and shared photos of the remains of the victims at the crash site.

Villanueva said in media interviews that he ordered all photos destroyed. The department also said that shortly after the crash, Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva sponsored legislation that now makes it an offense for public safety personnel to take and share unofficial photos “of. this nature ”.

It was not immediately clear whether the names of Los Angeles County Fire Department employees accused of misconduct would also be released.

In an Instagram post in February, Bryant publicly called on the sheriff’s department to release the names of MPs who were allegedly caught sharing the photos. She said removing or withholding names from the public creates a double standard of accountability.

“They want their names excluded from the public,” she posted. “Anyone else facing these allegations would not be protected, named and made public.”

In Monday’s ruling, Walter said one of the county’s arguments for trying to keep the names of deputies secret seemed to contradict the sheriff’s claims that the photos had been destroyed.

County lawyers said they feared someone could break into one of MPs’ social networks or private internet accounts and obtain copies of the photos.

“The defendants’ fear that hackers will attempt to search and access the devices of individual MPs to locate photographs and publish them is wholly incompatible with their position that such photographs no longer exist,” the judge said.

After Monday’s ruling, Bryant thanked Walter and attorney Luis Li in a new Instagram post.

Quoting Li’s comment to the Los Angeles Times, she wrote, “Transparency promotes accountability. We look forward to bringing Ms. Bryant’s case to open court.”