Vanessa Bryant Wants LA Citizens to Testify in the Upcoming Trial

Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit against Los Angeles County is set to take place this month. She initially filed suit against the Sheriff's Department and the fire department in September of 2020. In the wake of the crash that took the life of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi along with so many others, the suit alleged that photos were shared with the public due to negligence. 

Bryant is currently suing for undisclosed damages filed under negligence and "intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of her right to privacy". The three-day trial is expected to start in Los Angeles on February 22nd. 

But Bryant's lawyers have shifted their strategy slightly and would like to include the testimony of two citizens. Court documents show that their attorney asked the court to include Ralph Mendez Jr. and Luella Weireter. Both of them submitted complaints about the death of the Lakers legend, alleging that crash photos were shown in public. 

"The testimony relates to, respectively, (1) the conduct and statements of Defendant Joey Cruz on the evening he displayed victims' remains photos to a bar patron and bartender Victor Gutierrez; and (2) the statements of attendees at the Golden Mike awards who were present at the time Tony Imbrenda showed off photos of the victims' remains."- Attorney Luis Li

As of right now, the testimony is set to include 30 members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department. The County has objected to the request, saying that neither of the citizens listed were shown any photos of the crash site.