Kobe Bryant widow awarded $16M over crash photos
A federal jury has found that Los Angeles County must pay Kobe Bryant’s widow $16 million over photos of the NBA star’s body at the site of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed him. (Aug. 24)
AP
Vanessa Bryant is celebrating the outcome of a civil case over photos of the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna and seven others in January 2020.
A federal jury awarded Vanessa Bryant $16 million on Wednesday after an 11-day civil trial that went into graphic detail about gruesome photos that were taken and shared. Chris Chester, a financial adviser who lost his wife and daughter in the same crash, was separately awarded $15 million by the same jury.
The verdict was reached on Wednesday, which coincides with Kobe Bryant Day (8/24) in Los Angeles, representing the jersey numbers the NBA legend wore during his 20-year career with the Lakers.
“All for you! I love you!” Vanessa Bryant captioned a photo of herself, Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna all smiling. “JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi! 8•24•22”
She added the hashtags #Betonyourself and #MambaDay.
KOBE BRYANT PHOTO CASE: Jury awards his widow $16 million in civil trial
Vanessa Bryant brought this case to trial after filing a lawsuit that accused county sheriff’s and fire department employees of using their personal phones to take and share gratuitous photos of human remains from the crash scene despite having no legitimate business reason for doing so.
On Tuesday, Vanessa Bryant and daughter Natalia Bryant, who attended the trial alongside her mother, celebrated on what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday.
“Happy birthday, baby! I love you and miss you so much!” Vanessa Bryant wrote on Instagram. In a separate post, Natalia Bryant, 19, wrote: “Happy Birthday Daddy!”
Contributing: Brent Schrotenboer
