*A judge has ordered Vanessa Bryant to turn over her mental health records from the last four years as part of her lawsuit against Los Angeles County.
We previously reported… attorneys for Los Angeles County are seeking Vanessa’s therapy records amid her legal battle over the circulation of photos of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash site last year. Bryant claims the leak among sheriff’s deputies and others caused her emotional distress, but the County ain’t buying it since the images were not publicly released.Â
In the court filing, as reported by ABC 7, “… the county argues that the request is necessary to defend itself from the lawsuit and to show that Bryant did not actually suffer from the circulation of photos taken at the site of the crash last year that killed the NBA legend, the couple’s 13-year-old daughter and seven others,” the outlet writes.Â
READ MORE: LA County Seeking Vanessa Bryant’s Therapy Records in Lawsuit Over Kobe Crash Photos
“The County continues to have nothing but the deepest sympathy for the enormous grief Ms. Bryant suffered as a result of the tragic helicopter accident,” said Skip Miller, outside counsel for L.A. County, in a statement. “Our motion for access to her medical records, however, is a standard request in lawsuits where a plaintiff demands millions of dollars for claims of emotional distress. I have an obligation to take this step to defend the County.”
A judge agreed, requiring Bryant and her therapist to submit records from their sessions spanning from Jan. 1, 2017, to the present, by Nov. 29, according to a filing obtained by PEOPLE.
Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and its deputies, accusing them of sharing images of the crash site with people who were not involved in the case. Her suit is seeking damages for negligence, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Per the report, in her recent deposition, the mother of four testified that she is “traumatized, has trouble sleeping and is depressed for ‘many’ reasons.”
“The impact of the helicopter crash was so damaging, I just don’t understand how someone can have no regard for life and compassion, and, instead, choose to take that opportunity to photograph lifeless and helpless individuals for their own sick amusement,” she said in her deposition.
The trial is scheduled for Feb. 22, 2022.
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