Kobe Bryant Crash Photos Lawsuit, Vanessa Bryant Wins - Awarded $16m By Jury

 

Kobe Bryant's widow has been awarded $16m (£13.6m) in damages over leaked graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed the US basketball star and his daughter in 2020.

Vanessa Bryant, 40, said she had panic attacks after learning images taken by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and firefighters had been shared.

A federal jury now said the county must pay Mrs Bryant for emotional distress.

Co-plaintiff Christopher Chester will be paid $15m.

In the Vanessa Bryant‘s lawsuit against Los Angeles County, the jury ordered Los Angeles County to pay $31 million to the widow of Kobe Bryant and co-plaintiff Christopher Chester.

The jury deliberated for less than four hours before coming to their decision, and according to multiple reports.

The sum of $16 million was awarded to Vanessa and $15 million to Christopher — who lost his wife, Sarah, and 13-year-old daughter, Payton, in the same helicopter crash that killed Kobe and 13-year-old Gianna Bryant on Jan. 26, 2020.

Vanessa and Christopher were seeking millions of dollars in damages for emotional distress regarding gruesome photos taken by officers at the crash site. 

While Vanessa left the courthouse without making a statement to the press, she took to Instagram later in the day and shared a photo of herself, Kobe, and Gianna, which she captioned, 

“All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi! #Betonyourself #MambaDay 8•24•22.”

Mira Hashmall, partner at the Miller Barondess law firm and lead outside counsel for LA County in the lawsuit, released a statement to ET Wednesday afternoon in response to the verdict.

“We are grateful for the jury’s hard work in this case. While we disagree with the jury’s findings as to the County’s liability, we believe the monetary award shows that jurors didn’t believe the evidence supported the Plaintiffs’ request of $75 million for emotional distress,” Hashmall stated. 

We will be discussing next steps with our client. Meanwhile, we hope the Bryant and Chester families continue to heal from their tragic loss.”