A federal judge has denied Los Angeles County’s attempts at having a lawsuit from Vanessa Bryant dismissed.
Per a report from KABC, a judge ruled Wednesday that there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial in the lawsuit focused on photographs taken at the scene of the tragic 2020 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant, Kobe and Vanessa’s daughter Gianna, and others. The report adds that the trial is tentatively slated to begin in February, though that could change.
As previously reported, Vanessa filed a lawsuit against the county September 2020 and is seeking damages related to negligence, privacy invasion, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“This lawsuit is about accountability and about preventing this disgraceful behavior from happening to other families in the future who have suffered loss,” Vanessa’s attorney, Luis Li, said in an Associated Press-shared statement at the time. “The department formally refused Mrs. Bryant’s requests for information saying it was ‘unable to assist’ with any inquiry and had no legal obligation to do so. It’s now for a court to tell the department what its obligations are.”
In a more recent statement, this one to CNN on Thursday, Li said the legal team looks forward to “presenting the facts to a jury” soon. Complex has reached out to Li’s office for additional comment.
In June of last year, Vanessa Bryant (and additional plaintiffs) settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the company responsible for operating the helicopter involved in the deadly 2020 crash.
