Vanessa Bryant Reaches A $28.5 Million Settlement With Los Angeles Country Lawsuit Over Kobe’s Case

Vanessa Bryant and the family of the late Kobe Bryant have reached a nearly $29 million agreement with Los Angeles County to settle a lawsuit over photos that were taken at the helicopter crash that killed her husband, her daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others in a 2020 helicopter crash, attorneys and court filings said Tuesday. The figure includes a newly agreed upon payment from the county of $13.5 million along with the $15 million a federal jury awarded Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, at a trial in August. 

The $28.5 million Settlement

“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Bryant’s attorney 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.” Mira Hashmall, the attorney representing LA County, called the statement “fair and reasonable” adding, “We hope Ms Bryant and her children continue to heal from their loss.”

The agreement resolves any future claims by Bryant’s three surviving daughters, related issues pending in state court, and other costs. A proposed settlement order, which a judge must approve, was filed Tuesday in federal court.  The settlement comes after a national jury in August 2022 found the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and Fire departments responsible for infringing on the constitutional rights of Bryant and her co-plaintiff Christopher Chester for taking and sharing repulsive photos of the helicopter crash that left nine people dead.

Details of Kobe Bryant Incident

Kobe Bryant, the former Lakers star, five-time NBA champion and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was travelling with Gianna and seven others to a youth basketball game when the helicopter they were aboard crashed into hills in Calabasas west of Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2020. Deputies and firefighters responding to the crash scene shot phone photos of the bodies and the wreckage, which Hashmall argued at trial was an essential part of assessing the situation.

But the pictures were shared, mostly between employees of the county sheriff’s and fire departments, including by some who were playing video games and attending an awards banquet. They were also seen by some of their spouses and in one case by a bartender at a bar where a deputy was drinking. Li told jurors that the close-up photos had no official or investigative purpose, and were mere “visual gossip” shared out of a gruesome curiosity. Hashmall argued that the sheriff acted swiftly and appropriately when he ordered the photos deleted. 

Vanessa Bryant tearfully testified during the 11-day trial that news of the photos compounded her still-raw grief a month after losing her husband and daughter and that she still has panic attacks at the thought that they might still be out there and her daughters might someday see them online.

The final verdict in her favour was erroneously read as $16 million in court but was later amended to $15 million. Chris Chester, Vanessa Bryant’s co-plaintiff at the trial, was also awarded $15 million at trial and reached his settlement with the county in September for nearly $5 million more.