California Law Inspired By Kobe Bryant Bans Unauthorized Photos Of Deceased People

California has passed a new law, inspired by Kobe Bryant’s tragic death and the photo leak that followed, that will make it illegal for first responders to take photos of the dead and publish them without any authorization.

The California governor, Gavin Newsom, signed the law, which covers the site of the accident and the crime scenes. The law will be implemented in January 2020.

The basketball star Kobe Bryant’s unfateful death led to the passing of the legislation before it became a law. The star’s wife had sued the sheriff’s department over the sharing of distressing images from the site of the helicopter crash, which killed Bryant and their daughter, along with six others.

She claimed “invasion of privacy, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress” due to the sharing of distressing images from the site of the helicopter crash. The photos had been allegedly snapped by Los Angeles County sheriff’s department deputies.

The Los Angeles County sheriff, Alex Villanueva, confirmed that eight deputies were accused of taking unauthorized photos and sharing them. They were later ordered to delete the photos.

After the implementation of the law, people will have to pay up to $1,000 per offense in fine if they are found to take the unauthorized photos of the deceased at the site of the accident or crime scene for any reason other than official law enforcement.

“Proud to report that my bill, The Kobe Bryant Act of 2020, was signed today by Gavin Newsom. AB2655 will prohibit first responders from taking photos of the deceased outside of job duties,” tweeted Assembly member Mike Gipson, who authored the bill.