“This settlement will put an end to this practice”: Late Kobe Bryant’s Wife Vanessa Reveals She Wanted To Punish Authorities for Leaking Accident Pics of Loved Ones With $30M Lawsuit Win Over Helicopter Crash Photos
Three years ago, on January 26, 2020, the helicopter carrying the NBA legend Kobe Bryant along with his daughter Gianna, and seven others faced a tragic end. Crashing in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains, Sikorsky S-76B was cited to have lost control due to excessive speed. While mourning the death of Bryan and Gianna, Vanessa Bryant had to go through severe trauma because netizens shared grisly photos of the player and his daughter.
The player’s widow Vanessa Bryant, therefore, filed a $30M lawsuit against Los Angeles County for sharing the gruesome images of her late husband and daughter, along with the other victims. Initially awarded the $15M from her previous year’s lawsuit, the widow receives another $13M, or close, for the rest.
Vanessa Bryant Receives Close To $13M For Her Lawsuit
In 2022, Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa Bryant was awarded $15M for her lawsuit against Los Angeles County, for sharing the horrific images of her husband and daughter. The jurors agreed with Bryant’s cause and therefore gave a unanimous verdict. Vanessa Bryant’s co-plaintiff, Chris Chester who lost his wife and daughter in the same helicopter crash, also received $15M separately, for the same cause.
After the initial lawsuit and its settlement, Vanessa Bryant received another load of money from the rest of the lawsuit. The jurors and the court decided on awarding the widow with an approximate amount of $13M for her initial $30M lawsuit which now accounts for any future claims from her remaining children. Amounting to a sum, close to $29M, her lawyer says the court settled the lawsuit that resolves Bryant’s original complaint and her subsequent award. Further, the settlement also includes any potential future claims from her surviving daughters.
Vanessa Bryant’s Lawsuit Against Los Angeles County
After Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash in 2020, Vanessa Bryant amended her initial lawsuit adding her surviving daughters as petitioners. The lawsuit was based on alleged photo sharing of Kobe Bryant and Gianna’s remains from the crash, which evidently caused a lot of stress and trauma to the widow and her daughters.
The player’s widow sued Los Angeles County, to which her lawyer Luis Li stated, “Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct.” Sharing such grisly photos causing trauma to the families of the deceased, should be a crime. Therefore, Li further added, “She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice.”
Taking the stand in the court with an honest emotional testimony Vanessa Bryant expressed her trauma. She shared “I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up”. Further adding, “I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up”. With a unanimous verdict from the jurors based on her emotional distress, Bryant initially won the case and received nearly $15M.
Finally, the court settled the lawsuit after a year and provided the widow and her surviving daughters with approximately $29M.
Source: TMZ
