Before she gave her deposition, Vanessa's lawyers had argued in a court filing that such examinations are "cruel," according to The New York Times, which first reported the story. While questioning Kobe's wife over Zoom, an attorney representing Los Angeles County told her, "It's not harassment. It's just a lawsuit. And I'm so sorry to put you through this, but like I said at the beginning, I've got to do my job." Vanessa responded, "I shouldn't have to be going through this."

The Los Angeles County attorney also asked her to look at some graphic images and messages, some photoshopped, that had been sent to her on social media, while trying to argue that others besides sheriff's deputies had caused her emotional distress. The deposition transcript said Vanessa put her hand in front of the camera and said she did not want to look.

Vanessa also confirmed that she personally has not seen any photos of her husband and daughter's remains. She added that she had in her possession the clothes that Kobe and Gianna wore during the crash, adding, "I had to recover all their items because I know people are sick and would like to take pictures of them and share them."

"They suffered a lot," she added about Kobe and Gianna. "And if their clothes represent the condition of their bodies, I cannot imagine how someone could be callous and have no regard for them or our friends, and just share the images as if they were animals on a street."