Vanessa Bryant names deputies who allegedly took photos of the crash site

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The posts were of an amended complaint – filed Wednesday at the US District Court in Los Angeles and obtained by CNN – that named deputies Joey Cruz, Rafael Mejia, Michael Russell and Raul Versales as defendants, in addition to Los Angeles County, its sheriff and fire department . The lawsuit claims damages, allegations of negligence and invasion of privacy.

The complaint alleges that Cruz “bragged that he had worked at the scene of the accident where Kobe Bryant was killed” and that on January 28, 2020, two days after the crash, he showed photos of the crash site to a bartender and a bar boss.
Vanessa Bryant wins case to obtain names of delegates who allegedly took photos of crash site

On the same day, Cruz also showed photos of the remains of the Bryants to his niece, according to the complaint.

The bartender who saw the photos then shared with other customers that he had seen the photos and “described specifics of Mr. Bryant’s remains,” the complaint states.

One of the clients found this situation “very disturbing” and sent a complaint by e-mail to the sheriff’s department describing the deputy sheriff.

Another deputy sheriff, Russell, reportedly shared photos with a friend with whom he “ plays video games every night, ” the complaint said.

Vanessa Bryant posts a heartfelt message to Kobe about what would have been his 42nd birthday
Vanessa Bryant won her case earlier this month to reveal the names of the alleged delegates involved. Attorneys for the LASD and Los Angeles County wanted to keep the delegates’ names and ranks sealed, arguing that “hackers can try to search the individual delegates’ devices and access the individual delegates’ devices to locate photos. and publish it, “according to court documents. .
In February, she had asked the sheriff’s department to release the deputies’ names and said they should be held accountable.

“Ms. Bryant is looking forward to taking her case to public court,” Vanessa Bryant’s attorney Luis Li said in a statement to CNN.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We respect the judge’s decision,” Ron Hernandez, the vice president of the Association for Los Angeles, said in a statement. “Our main concern is the privacy of all parties involved.”

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