Lawyers from the LASD and Los Angeles County wanted to keep the deputies’ names and ranks sealed, arguing that “hackers could try to gain access to the devices of the individual deputies and to find and publish photos”, according to court documents . .
U.S. District Judge John F. Walter said in a ruling Monday that it “is completely at odds with their position that such photos no longer exist.”
“The sheriff’s department wants to change the names of the deputies who took and / or shared photos of my husband, daughter and other victims,” Bryant wrote in a statement on Instagram. “Anyone else who faces allegations will be unprotected, nominated and released to the public … These specific deputies, like everyone else, must be held accountable for their actions.”
Before Monday’s verdict, Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed that all photos of the accident that were in those deputies’ possession had been removed.
Bryant’s lawyer, Luis Li, welcomed the judge’s ruling on Monday night and told CNN in a statement: “Transparency promotes accountability. We look forward to presenting Mrs Bryant’s case in open court.”
Photos of the scene shared
After completing their investigation last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said Island Express charter pilot Ara Zobayan lowered the limits of the bad weather rules, climbed into clouds, became disoriented about the helicopter’s position relative to the horizon, and a descending left turn to a cloud-obscured hill.
After the crash, Bryant not only pleaded for the disclosure of the names of the deputies, but also encouraged Congress to pass a new helicopter safety bill named after her husband and daughter.
She also filed the civil claim against the LASD and Sheriff Villanueva for the photo leak in September, in which innocent damages were sought to redress civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress and invasion of privacy.
The sheriff’s department at the time did not comment on pending litigation.
CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.