A "Kobe Bryant Law" has now been signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The law states that it is illegal to take pictures of the dead in a scene that involves fatalities like crime or an accident. It was inspired by the incident when eight deputies allegedly took and shared pictures of dead bodies in the helicopter accident that killed Kobe Bryant.
The basketball star, along with his 13-year old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers, was killed when their helicopter crashed somewhere in Calabasas, California, last January 26. Baseball coach John Altobelli was also among the passengers.
The cause for the crash was unclear as there was no trace of substances from the pilot, and there were no indications of engine failure. The accident inspired tributes and remembrances for Kobe Bryant all over the world.
The weather was foggy during that time, so there were poor visibility and low cloud ceiling, but pilots can still fly as long as they are under instrument flight rules.
It was on Monday when Gov. Newsom signed the bill, making it a crime to take pictures and share them. The only times when it is acceptable is only for official law enforcement or genuine public interest. There was one deputy who tried to impress a woman at a bar by bragging and showing pictures of the late basketball icon's corpse.
When Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa heard about the photo scandal, she filed a lawsuit for the following reasons: invasion of privacy, negligence, and intentional inflection of emotional distress. She also did not know about the leaked photos until the media broke the story about the deputies showing them for their gain.
"Ms. Bryant feels ill at the thought of strangers gawking at images of her deceased husband and child, and she lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online."
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