Vanessa Bryant Asked To Take Psychiatric Exam In Lawsuit

Los Angeles County wants Vanessa Bryant and members of her family to submit to psychiatric examinations as a part of the ongoing legal battle centered around the lawsuit she filed last year.

USA Today reports that in a recent court filing, the county asked for Kobe Bryant’s widow and members of their family to submit to the exams, with their argument being that any emotional distress argued in the lawsuit is due to the fatal January 2020 helicopter crash that killed the NBA legend, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other passengers.

In related legal documents, the county argues that such independent medical exams are “necessary” to determine the “existence, extent, and nature” of alleged emotional distress.

RELATED: Vanessa Bryant, Other Families To Settle In Wrongful Death Lawsuit With Helicopter Company

“Plaintiffs cannot claim that they are suffering from ongoing depression, anxiety, and severe emotional distress and then balk at having to support their claims,” the county states. 

USA Today also reports that lawyers representing Vanessa Bryant are fighting the county’s attempt at requiring the exams.

In September of last year, Bryant filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff and his department due to leaked photos of the crash.

Last March, according to NBC News, Bryant called out the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for not releasing the names of the deputies, writing in her Instagram stories, “They want their names to be exempt from the public. Anyone else facing these allegations would be unprotected, named and released to the public.” She would later win her case against the sheriff’s department and had the names released.