Trial over Kobe Bryant crash photos begins in LA

Wife Vanessa Bryant says people 'gawked at gratuitous images of her deceased husband and child'

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  Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna at the WNBA All Star Game in July 2019, six months before they died in a helicopter crash in California. USA Today Sports

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  Bryant celebrates with Gianna after the Lakers' 99-86 defeat of Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the NBA finals in Orlando. Orlando Sentinel / AP

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  A mural of Bryant and Gianna by artist Mr Brainwash in Los Angeles. Getty

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  Bryant sinks a shot in the closing seconds against Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 NBA Finals, in Los Angeles. AP

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  Bryant, holding the championship trophy, celebrates with teammates Rick Fox, Lindsey Hunter and Shaquille O'Neal in 2002. AP

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  Bryant and Glen Keane accept the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for 'Dear Basketball'. Reuters

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  O'Neal and Bryant in 2004. Getty

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  Bryant walks towards the tunnel after scoring 60 points against Utah Jazz at Staples Centre in Los Angeles. AFP

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  A man touches a statue in memory of Bryant and Gianna in Calabasas, California, where their helicopter crashed. AP

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  Flowers next to a mural of Bryant in Los Angeles. EPA

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  Bryant dunks on the way to the US winning the gold medal against Spain at the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Reuters

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  Bryant talks with USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski during an Olympic team practice. AP

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  LeBron James greets Bryant on the court. AP

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  A woman looks up at a mural of Bryant and Gianna in Los Angeles. AP

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  Kobe Bryant celebrates after scoring 60 points in his last NBA game at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on April 13, 2016. AFP

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  LA Lakers' Bryant flashes the victory sign at a parade in downtown Los Angeles. AP

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  A municipal basketball court in Los Angeles was painted with an image of Bryant. Reuters

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  Bryant and Gianna watch the US national championships swimming meet in Irvine, California. AP

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  Vanessa, Kobe, Natalia and Gianna Bryant at the world premiere of 'A Wrinkle in Time' in Los Angeles. AP

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  FILE - Vanessa Bryant, left, and Kobe Bryant arrive at the Oscars in Los Angeles, March 4, 2018. Vanessa Bryant is taking her lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Fire Department to a federal jury seeking compensation for photos deputies shared of the remains of NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others killed in a helicopter crash in 2020. (Photo by Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP, File)

A trial began on Wednesday in Los Angeles, California, in Vanessa Bryant's invasion of privacy lawsuit over photos of her late husband and NBA star Kobe Bryant's fatal helicopter crash.

The lawsuit filed in the US District Court in September 2020 seeks undisclosed damages.

Ms Bryant claims that members of the Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire departments shared gruesome images of the crash in unofficial settings, including to patrons in a bar.

“Mrs Bryant feels ill at the thought that sheriff's deputies, firefighters and members of the public have gawked at gratuitous images of her deceased husband and child,” the lawsuit states.

“She lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”

LA County officials have argued that the “severe and emotional and mental injuries” were not caused by the county or the photos but by the crash itself.

Bryant, his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven other people perished in the crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2020.

Ms Bryant has also filed lawsuits against the helicopter charter company and the deceased pilot's estate.

The county already agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a similar case brought by families of others who died in the crash, according to ESPN.

Bryant was 41 when he died. The Los Angeles Lakers great and 18-time All-Star won five NBA championships and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020.

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  In this 1996 photo Kobe Bryant dunks the ball at his high school gym during a practice. Bryant, a five-time NBA champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday, January 26, 2020. AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File

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  Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant defends Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File

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  Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, top, goes up for a shot between the Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, left, and Al Jefferson during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Branimir Kvartuc

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  Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) points to a player behind him after making a basket in the closing seconds against the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the NBA basketball finals, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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  Smoke rises from the charred remains of a helicopter on the side of a hill in Calabasas, Calif. where NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant was killed on Sunday January 26, 2020. AP Photo/Richard Vogel

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  os Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, center, holds the Larry O'Brien Trophy as Kobe Bryant, right, holds the MVP trophy as they celebrate after beating the Boston Celtics, 83-79, in Game 7 of the NBA basketball finals in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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  Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant flashes the victory sign during a parade in downtown Los Angeles. AP Photo/Richard Vogel

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  A fan pays respects at a mural depicting Kobe Bryant in a downtown Los Angeles alley after word of the Lakers star's death in a helicopter crash, in downtown Los Angeles Sunday, January 26, 2020. AP Photo/Matt Hartman