Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department alleging violation of privacy. The lawsuit stems from behavior by the officers at the scene of her husband and daughter’s death.

Vanessa Bryant is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Vanessa Bryant has filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County sheriff claiming deputies shared unauthorized photos of the crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant and seven other people. https://t.co/mm55TrdGvt

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 22, 2020

On Jan. 26, a helicopter carrying Kobe and Gianna Bryant, Payton and Sarah Chester, Alyssa, Keri, and John Altobelli, Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan crashed in the Calabasas hills. The sudden death devastated those who knew Kobe and the city of Los Angeles that mourned his death for months after.

Vanessa was shocked to hear that the sheriff deputies took photos of her husband’s and daughter’s bodies at the crash site.

pic.twitter.com/IMpqvl5L1b

— JB (@therealJB9) September 22, 2020

“This lawsuit is about accountability and about preventing this disgraceful behavior from happening to other families in the future who have suffered loss,” Vanessa’s attorney, Luis Li, said in a statement. “The department formally refused Mrs. Bryant’s requests for information, saying it was ‘unable to assist’ with any inquiry and had no legal obligation to do so. It’s now for a court to tell the department what its obligations are.”

Bryant is suing the department claiming damages for emotional distress, negligence, and invasion of privacy.

Kobe fans are upset with the LACSD and the allegations that the deputies took these photos.

Fire those deputies already, man

— Will 郭 (@GuoBlue) September 22, 2020

According to TMZ, Sheriff Alex Villanueva knew about the photos taken by eight deputies and shared within the department. They were also shared in the Lost Hills Sheriff’s substation. Sheriff Villanueva told the deputies to delete the photos from their phones and felt confident they did so.

A trainee allegedly shared the photos with a woman in a bar.

imagine how lame you gotta be that you gotta use the picture of a dead person to try and pick up women🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

— Depressed Sixers Fan (@depressedsixer) September 22, 2020

A witness to the event said that a trainee took out his phone and showed a woman the photos to impress her. The bartender overheard the conversation and filed an online complaint about the trainee and their behavior with the photos. The trainee showed the woman the photos a few days after the crash leading many to believe that the sheriff’s department was fully aware of the photos.

Kobe fans are standing behind Vanessa as she follows through with her lawsuit.

Yes!! Good for her!! What they did was disgusting disgraceful and so disrespectful to her and her daughters and to the other families. 🙏🏼💔

— Mona Flora (@MonaFlora1) September 22, 2020

Reports state that the sheriff’s department told deputies to delete the images to avoid disciplinary action. The coverup is sparking outrage by Kobe fans who are angered that the department did not do enough to protect the dignity and privacy of all of the victims of the crash.

Mitú will update this story as it continues to develop.

READ: Vanessa Bryant Forced To Respond To ‘Beyond Hurtful’ Comments Made By Her Own Mom On ‘El Gordo y La Flaca’

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In the capital city of La Paz, Bolivia 11 Indigenous women have set out to climb higher than the sexist expectations of their world. The women come from an Indigenous group known for their bowler hats and brightly ornate clothing. They call themselves the Cholita Climbers and they’re willing to go to great heights to reach their dreams.

Up until recently, the Bolivian Aymara women worked as cooks and caretakers for wealthy families, men, and mountaineers from across the globe.

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Trecking the Huaynapotosi mountain 🏔 with the world famous Climbing Cholitas in Bolivia 🇧🇴 was an incredible experience back in Feb-20. So grateful to of had such an amazing opportunity teaching the Cholitas English & helping them set up a sustainable tourism project, can’t wait to see their development in years to come! 🙂🍾🥂 _________ You can find out more about the amazing #climbingcholitas in this short YouTube clip 🎥 Enjoy! https://youtu.be/hGxxvefRk9A _________ #bolivia #cholitas #cholitasbolivianas #cholitasescaladoras #cholitasescaladorasdebolivia #huaynapotosi

A post shared by George Aisthorpe (@george._.ace) on Jul 5, 2020 at 12:51pm PDT

According to the Guardian, the women worked on high-altitude camps for years helping crews setting out to reach the highest peaks of the Andes. One day, the women decided to strap on crampons (shoes that are necessary for traveling on glaciers, snow slopes, and frozen waterfalls) and scale the mountains on their own.

While “Chola” is often interpreted as a derogatory term for indigenous women in certain Spanish-speaking countries, the Climbing Cholitas have taken back the word and found power in it. As a group (whose members range from 24 to 52 years old), the women weather the dangers of icy mountain terrains while holding on to ice axes and wearing their traditional dresses.

In some incredible pictures taken of the woman, they can be seen wearing colorful dresses called polleras.

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from @toddantonyphoto Just been revisiting the out takes from my shoot in Bolivia a year ago of the amazing Climbing Cholitas, and came across this little gem. The Cholita Climbers are a group of Aymara indigenous women who are breaking stereotypes and shifting perceptions. In January of this year they summited the 22,841ft peak of Mt Aconcagua. The highest mountain outside of Asia. And did so eschewing traditional climbing clothing in favour of their traditional, vibrant, billowing dresses, and using their traditional shawls to carry equipment rather than backpacks. . . . . . #bolivia #bolivia🇧🇴 #mountains #mountain #snow #climbingcholitas #cholita #climbing #climb #colourpop #gooutside #adventure #travel #explore #exploremore #lapaz #altitude #highaltitude ##myfeatureshoot #phaseone #mediumformat #phaseonephoto #toddantony #huaynapotosi

A post shared by PhotoPolitic (@photopolitic) on Jun 29, 2020 at 11:20am PDT

The women have set out to climb the highest peaks in South America, including Aconcagua. For the time being, they’re setting their sights on scaling eight mountains higher than 19,700 ft.

Speaking about their experiences Dora Magueño, a 50-year-old member of the group, told the Guardian that she cried when she first climbed Huyana Potsí. “I’m strong, I’m going to continue and get to the top of eight mountains.”

Ultimately, the group wants to steak a Bolivian flag on the summit of Aconcagua. The mountain is located in the Argentinian Andes near the border with Chile.

Check out a video of the women below!

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