Kobe byrant trial

In a separate lawsuit last year, she and other families who lost loved ones in the crash reached an undisclosed settlement to end their wrongful death claims against the owner and operator of the doomed helicopter. Her lawsuit over crash-scene photos now is expected to ramp up before trial with court battles over what evidence can be shown to the jury.

The trial date is Feb. Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschrotenb usatoday. Kobe Bryant's widow wins key court ruling in lawsuit over photos of human remains from helicopter crash. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure. I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman.

No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.

I understand that the civil case against me will go forward. That part of this case will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado. He is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and daughters Natalia, Capri and Bianka.

Complete coverage: Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna among 9 dead in helicopter crash. Complete coverage of the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash. Henson was a sports writer and editor at The Times from More From the Los Angeles Times. Cam Akers, Eric Weddle are another generation of help for Rams in playoffs. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries. Hot Property.

A judge ruled Wednesday that a lawsuit brought by Kobe Bryant's widow alleging that Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire department personnel snapped and shared gruesome photos of the bodies of her late husband and the couple's year-old daughter at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed nine people can go forward to trial.

In his ruling issued late Wednesday, U. District Judge John F. Walter concluded that "there are genuine issues of material fact for trial" and denied Los Angeles County's motion to dismiss the case. The NBA legend's widow is seeking millions of dollars in damages for the severe emotional distress she alleges she suffered after discovering that graphic digital images of the helicopter crash scene were passed around by county personnel.

In a recent declaration, Vanessa Bryant said the allegations "caused me tremendous pain and distress. County attorneys argued in a November dismissal motion that Bryant's claim of emotional distress caused by the alleged sharing of the cellphone photos is based on "hypothetical harm" and thus lacks standing because the images were never publicly circulated and she never saw them.

Bryant's attorneys then asked Walter to deny the dismissal motion and allow the case to go forward. The year-old widow said that she is infuriated "that the people I trusted to protect the dignity of my husband and daughter abused their positions to obtain souvenirs of their deaths, as though possessing pictures of their remains somehow makes them special. I imagine Kobe watching over what occurred at that crash scene, and I am overcome with anger and emotion," according to the declaration.

In quotes taken from a court-ordered deposition, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that taking and sharing such images was "wildly inappropriate" and "disgusting" and revealed efforts to "take away a trophy" from the scene of the deaths.

In its dismissal motion, the county said it is "undisputed that the complained-of photos have never been in the media, on the internet, or otherwise publicly disseminated. A pretrial hearing is scheduled on Feb. In a recent statement to City News Service, Skip Miller, outside counsel for Los Angeles County, expressed sympathy for Bryant while denying that any crash scene photos were circulated.