The widow of late basketball star Kobe Bryant agrees to accept $28.85 million in exchange for ending her legal fight over the improper taking and sharing of photos of the crash site.
- Mar 1, 2023
AceShowbiz - Vanessa Bryant and her family have scored a major victory in her legal battle against Los Angeles County. Kobe Bryant's wife has settled her lawsuit over the photos taken of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband and their daughter Gianna for nearly $30 million.
It's reported on Tuesday, February 28 that Vanessa has agreed to accept $28.85 in exchange for ending her legal fight against those accused of improperly taking and sharing gruesome photos of the crash site. It also resolves all pending litigation and future claims from Vanessa as well as her remaining children.
"Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant's courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct," Vanessa's lawyer Luis Li said in a statement. "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."
Kobe and his daughter Gianna Bryant, who was only 13 years old, were killed in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles on January 26, 2020. Seven other people aboard the helicopter were also declared dead at the scene.
Following the crash, Vanessa learned that graphic photos of human remains from the crash were shared by some employees of the county's fire and sheriff's departments. In September 2020, she sued Los Angeles County for invasion of privacy and negligence due to taking pictures of the victims of the crash and improperly sharing them. She won a trial in August 2022 and was awarded $16 million in damages, though it was later reduced to $15 million due to an error on the verdict form. She later donated the money to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.
Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter died in the crash, won $15 million in a parallel lawsuit against L.A. County and settled his remaining claims for nearly $20 million last year.
