Vanessa Bryant filed a legal claim on Friday in regard to a collection of unauthorized photographs taken by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials that show the aftermath of the Jan. 26 helicopter crash that killed her husband, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
The claim, exclusively obtained by PEOPLE, seeks damages for emotional distress and mental anguish following the revelation that eight L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputies took graphic photographs of the victims and shared them with unauthorized people. This happened despite Vanessa personally speaking to Sheriff Alex Villanueva on the morning of the crash to request the site be secured for privacy.
"In reality, however, no fewer than eight sheriff’s deputies were at the scene snapping cell-phone photos of the dead children, parents, and coaches," the document asserts. "As the Department would later admit, there was no investigative purpose for deputies to take pictures at the crash site. Rather, the deputies took photos for their own personal purposes."
Only the county coroner’s office and investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were permitted to photograph the scene, Villanueva confirmed to reporters at the time.
"That is the only two groups of people," Villanueva said in March. "Anybody outside of that would be unauthorized. They’d be illicit photos."
At least two L.A. firefighters allegedly took photographs as well and were told to delete them.
Friday's filing says the "department’s mishandling of this egregious misconduct" only worsened Vanessa's "emotional distress." She would first learn of the photo scandal through various news outlets after February 28, almost a month after Vanessa's legal team says the department became aware of the photos’ existence.
"This [filing] solely is about enforcing accountability, protecting the victims and making sure no one ever has to deal with this conduct in the future," a spokesperson for the Bryant family exclusively tells PEOPLE in a statement.
"When a family suffers the loss of loved ones, they have the right to expect that they will be treated with dignity and respect," the family spokesperson adds. "The Deputies in this case betrayed that sacred trust. This claim is intended to hold the Sheriff’s Department accountable and to prevent future misconduct."
After news of the unauthorized images came to light in late February, Vanessa and her legal team quickly condemned the actions of the deputies and firefighters involved.
“Mrs. Bryant personally went to the Sheriff’s office on January 26th and requested that the area be designated a no-fly zone and protected from photographers,” Vanessa's lawyer, Gary C. Robb, said in a statement at the time.
“This was of critical importance to her as she desired to protect the dignity of all the victims, and their families," he continued. "At that time, Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the families’ privacy, and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests.”
The statement called the behavior of those involved "inexcusable and deplorable," and expressed gratitude for the individual who filed the online complaint that exposed "these acts of injustice."
As noted in Friday's claim, a bill proposed before the California Legislature on Monday would make it a crime for first responders to take and share photos of bodies at a crime scene, according to KCBS. If passed, anyone found to have taken unauthorized photos could face a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
The bill, titled “Invasion of Privacy: First Responders,” is in direct response to the Sheriff's Department photo scandal.
If you would like to help the families of the victims of the crash, consider donating to the Mamba on Three Fund. Contributions to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation will help support youth sports.
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