The husband of one of the victims in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash is suing the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. According to TMZ, Matthew Mauser, the husband of Christina Mauser, has filed a lawsuit for invasion of privacy over crash scene cellphone photos. Mauser claims that Sheriff Alex Villanueva did a poor job securing the area, which led to emergency responders taking unauthorized photos of the crash.
Mauser also claims he has reason to believe the L.A. County Fire Department took photos of the remains of his wife and then shared them with other individuals who are not involved in the investigation. Mauser says in the claim: “These facts show that Sheriff Villanueva had a special duty to ensure that the scene of the crash was given the highest caliber security his department could employ.”
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Mauser claims he and the couple’s three daughters are dealing with severe emotional distress, humiliation and anxiety “from the realization that photographs of their mother and wife were wrongfully taken, shown and discussed.” He is seeking damages in excess of $25,000. Back in August, Mauser told PEOPLE he was looking to honor his wife’s legacy.
“I don’t want my wife to just go unnoticed,” Mauser said. “I’m trying to honor what she would want.” Mauser is a musician and told PEOPLE he wrote a song for Christina called “Lost.” He said, “Being able to express how I feel on paper as a song, and writing music has been very helpful for me.”
Christina was a basketball coach at Bryant’s Sports Academy. On the day of the crash, Christina, Bryant and seven other people were flying to the academy for a tournament. “She said ‘I love you,’ and I was so tired I didn’t fully wake up,” Mauser said. “I didn’t realize what had happened until she walked out our bedroom door.”
In February, Christina was honored at a private memorial in Huntington Beach, California. During the service, Mauser said: “I just want people to know how amazing my wife was. I want everybody to know not only about my wife, but about the other people on that helicopter that were amazing people. Including Gianna and KB. It was a helicopter full of incredibly talented, hardworking, sweet, kind, fantastic people.”
