Vanessa Bryant Settles $28.9 Million Lawsuit Over Kobe’s Crash Site Photos
Vanessa Bryant settled her lawsuit with Los Angeles County for $28.85 million over photos of the crash site that deputies shared of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe. Bryant, their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; and seven others.
“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Luis Li, Vanessa Bryant’s attorney, said in a statement per ESPN. “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.”
The $28.9 million includes the $15 million Vanessa was awarded back in August after a trial in federal court. Co-plaintiff Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were also killed in the crash, received a $19.95 million settlement.
Mira Hashmall, the lead lawyer who represented Los Angeles County in the case, said that the settlement was “fair and reasonable.” She added that it “resolves all outstanding issues related to pending legal claims in state court, future claims by the Bryant children, and other costs, with each party responsible for its respective attorneys’ fees.”
The photos of the crash site mainly were shared among employees of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire departments.
Kobe Bryant was traveling with their daughter Gianna and seven others to his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County when their helicopter crashed in the hills of Calabasas on January 26, 2020. All nine people were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board in 2021 primarily blamed pilot error for the crash.
