On Tuesday, Vanessa Bryant resolved her outstanding grievances with Los Angeles County for a total of $28,850,000 in regards to photographs that members of the sheriff’s department shared in the aftermath of the fatalhelicopter crash which took the lives of her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna in January 2020. Additionally, Chris Chester, whose familywas also killed in the crash, settled for $19,950,000.
“We believe the settlement approved by the Board in the Bryant case is fair and reasonable. The $28,850,000 settlement includes the verdict awarded by the federal jury in August 2022, and further 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,” Mira Hashmall, partner at the Miller Barondess law firm and lead trial counsel for LA County in the Bryant-Chester case, said in a statement.
On the 26th of January 2020, Kobe and Gianna were travelling in a helicopter on their way to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, accompanied by others associated with the basketball program, when itcrashed in Calabasas, claiming the lives of all nine on board.
Subsequently, Vanessa brought a caseagainst Los Angeles County, maintaining that first responders had gathered graphic pictures of human remains as ‘souvenirs’ and shared them with others, consequently inflicting her with mental distress, in addition to charges of negligence and invasion of privacy.