The late NBA star's widow, Vanessa Bryant, has sued Ara Zobayan and his bosses at Island Express Helicopters for the fatal January crash that claimed nine lives.
- Jun 23, 2020
AceShowbiz - The family of the helicopter pilot involved in the crash which killed Kobe Bryant are seeking to move their wrongful death suit outside of Los Angeles amid fair trial concerns.
The sports icon's widow, Vanessa Bryant, filed suit in February, blaming pilot Ara Zobayan for the accident, maintaining it was too foggy for him to fly.
She also sued his bosses at Island Express Helicopters, insisting she is entitled to hundreds of millions in future lost earnings as a result of her husband's sudden death.
Zobayan's relatives have now responded to the legal action, asking the judge overseeing the case to approve a change of venue, because Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe is so beloved in the city.
In court papers obtained by TMZ, they argue the trial would begin with "two strikes" already against Zobayan "due to the extreme level of popularity of plaintiff with the jury pool".
They propose holding the proceedings in Orange County, California in an effort to secure impartial jurors.
"The notoriety and popularity of the late Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles County is detailed herein and reached a level that left no person in the county unaware of his role in branding Los Angeles as his city," Zobayan's family members explain.
"No other single individual in recent memory, sports figure or otherwise, has been considered by the people to be such a personification of their city of Los Angeles.
"But with that unprecedented level of acclaim comes a lack of impartiality and objectivity by potential jurors about the merits under the law of the claims asserted in this lawsuit by the Bryant family."
They also highlight the fact that all eight passengers in Zobayan's helicopter lived in Orange Country, making it a more suitable venue for the court battle.
Zobayan died alongside Bryant and his teenage daughter Gianna in the January crash.
A ruling on the location change request has yet to be made.
