Vanessa Bryant's Attorney Responds to 'Full-Scale Attack' Filing from LA County

AP Photo/Kathy Willens

An attorney representing Vanessa Bryant accused Los Angeles County of waging a "full-scale attack" in its attempt to get a lawsuit filed against the county dismissed.

Bryant is suing Los Angeles County for negligence and invasion of privacy after deputies took pictures of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with seven others, and then allegedly showed them to people privately.

In March, Vanessa Bryant shared the names of the deputies accused of disseminating the photographs. Los Angeles County said Bryant shared posts "recklessly" on social media and potentially put deputies in danger of harassment. 

The county's filing, which was made public last week, also categorizes Bryant's desire for more time to continue gathering evidence as a "fishing expedition." 

Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, dismissed the concerns of the county in the counter filing. 

“The discomfort and distress she has suffered from government personnel using graphic photos of her deceased loved ones as gossip fodder is very real,” said the filing. “The County’s downplaying of what happened only confirms that Mrs. Bryant cannot trust the County’s internal investigations and must complete an investigation of her own.”

Bryant's investigation has found 66 county employees possess "relevant knowledge of the misconduct" and at least 18 employees took or shared improper photographs of the crash.

“After one Sheriff’s deputy alone took between 25 and 100 photos of the scene and at least two (county fire) personnel snapped even more photos focused on the victims’ remains, the photos quickly made their way into the hands of numerous County employees who had no involvement in investigating the accident, including a trainee monitoring the entry to a trailhead, a video-game buddy, and (a county fire) media relations officer,” the filing said.

Bryant is seeking unspecified damages in her lawsuit.