LOS ANGELES (KNX) — A federal judge ruled Monday that Vanessa Bryant must turn over medical records to document the "emotional distress" she claims was caused by Los Angeles County following the release of images of the Calabasas helicopter crash that claimed the lives of nine people last January, including her husband and daughter.
The decision comes amid Bryant’s ongoing lawsuit against the County, which she filed over the release of crash site photos shared by L.A. Sheriff’s Department deputies that included images of the victim’s remains.
The suit alleges invasion of privacy and Bryant reported experiencing “severe emotional distress” following the trauma of losing Kobe and Gigi Bryant.
“I do not want my little girls or I to ever have to see their remains in that matter," Bryant said in a virtually recorded deposition last month. “Nor do I think it's right that the photographs were taken in the first place, because it's already tough enough that I have to experience this heartache and this loss. But now, to live the rest of my life having to fear those photographs surfacing.”
Initially, L.A. County officials asked for Bryant to undergo psychiatric evaluations to determine whether she truly suffered emotional distress. However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Eick said that the request was “untimely” considering that a trial was set for 2022.
On Monday though, Eick said the documents related to Bryant’s alleged emotional distress are now fair game, and has ordered both Bryant and her therapist to release the documents by Nov. 29, according to USA Today.
In addition to documents related to the deaths in 2020, Eick has ordered Bryant to turn over therapy records dating back to January 2017.
“The requests are plainly relevant to the claims and defense herin and, as narrowed by this order, the requests are proportional to the needs of the case,” Eick wrote in his ruling.
County attorneys continue to insist that any publicly disseminated photos of the crash site did not come from LASD personnel, and have tried to allege that any emotional distress experienced by Bryant is based on the devastating deaths of her husband and daughter, not on anything done by the county — and explained in a statement why Bryant's documents are wanted in the suit.
“The County’s request for Plaintiff’s therapy records is not an intimidation tactic, as Plaintiff argues; it’s a routine part of discovery in emotional distress cases," said a filing last week shared by USA Today. "Mrs. Bryant is the widow of one of the greatest and most beloved athletes of all time. She is obviously not a typical plaintiff. But the rules of discovery apply equally to all litigants; there are no special exceptions for the rich and famous.”
Bryant’s suit against L.A. County is one of several that alleges Sheriff’s deputies took and shared photos of the crash scene.
In early November the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $2.5 million settlement for two families who sued over the alleged leaked photos.
If the proposed settlement is approved, plaintiff Matthew Mauser, who lost his wife, Christine, in the crash would receive $1.25 million. Siblings J.J. and Alexis Altobelli, who lost their mother, Keri; father, John; and sister, Alyssa, would share another $1.25 million between them.
The family of Sarah Chester and her 13-year-old daughter, Payton, who also died in the crash, filed their own suit against the county last December.
Follow KNX 1070 Newsradio
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Related
Related
