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"Experiencing emotional distress": Vanessa Bryant on Wednesday outside the Los Angeles courthouse
Photo: Jae C Hong/AP
Two and a half years after the death of US basketball star Kobe Bryant in a helicopter accident, a process initiated by his widow has begun – because of photos taken by rescue workers at the crash site.
At the start in the Californian metropolis of Los Angeles, ten jurors were initially selected on Wednesday, six women and four men, as reported by the news channel CNN.
Bryant's widow, Vanessa, is suing Los Angeles County for unspecified damages.
In her civil lawsuit, the 40-year-old claims she experienced emotional distress because police officers and firefighters took photos of the crash site and later shared them with friends and other rescue workers.
According to Bryant's lawyers, this affects at least eleven police officers and several firefighters.
Her lawyer, Luis Li, announced in his opening speech that the cell phone photos were "visual gossip" and had no official purpose.
The suing Los Angeles County does not deny that the photos were taken.
Lawyers argue, however, that the pictures were never made public and have since been deleted.
"Two and a half years later, no photos of the district have surfaced in the media, none can be found online, and plaintiffs admit they never saw them," said attorney Mira Hashmall.
Already the first verdict in a separate process
Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit has been consolidated with that of another victim's relative.
In a separate lawsuit, plaintiffs, two families, were awarded a total of $2.5 million ($2.45 million today) in damages for the photos last year.
Basketball star Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers died on January 26, 2020 when their helicopter crashed near Los Angeles.
According to the investigation, the pilot of the helicopter apparently lost his bearings after falling into thick clouds.
Bryant is considered one of the best players in the history of the North American professional league NBA.
He won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in his 20-year career and won gold medals with the US team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
In 2016 he ended his career.
swe/AFP/AP