Los Angeles County is ready to pay a sum of $1.25 million each to two families. The families are accusing the first responders of the country of wrongly sharing photos of their dead relatives. They were killed in the same crash as Kobe Bryant.
LA County to reimburse two families
According to the proposed settlement, the representatives came to terms with the Mauser and Altobelli families. The families had sued Los Angeles County for negligence and invasion of privacy. Moreover, they are very similar to the one filed by Vanessa, Bryant’s wife, and Chis Chester, the husband, and father of two other victims. The final element approval by the board of supervisors is expected in the next week. The Mauser and Altobelli plaintiffs wish to recover d’imagés for the distress caused after learning of the fire department and the county sheriff’s outrageous conduct. Ther lawsuits state that the employees took and shared photos of the human remains from the helicopter crash.
“We believe these proposed settlements of $1.25 million are reasonable and fair to all concerned,” stated Skip Miller. Miller is the outside counsel for the county and a partner of the Miller Barondess law firm. “We are pleased that the Mauser and Altobelli families, who as private citizens suffered the same grief and loss as others, will be able to move forward after these settlements. We also hope that eventually, the other families will be able to do the same,” they added.
More on the crash that killed Kobe Bryant
Unlike in the case of the two families, the country stated that in the Bryant case, the images were not shared on the internet.”Given the risks and uncertainties of litigation, as well as the tragic accident giving rise to the lawsuits, fair and reasonable settlements at this time will avoid further litigation costs. Therefore, full and final settlements of the two cases are warranted,” stated Castro-Silva.
However, the legal fight with Vanessa Bryant is escalating. Vanessa won a court order that complex the retrial depositions by the Fire Chief and Sheriff of LA County. However, she is not demanding money with the lawsuit. She and her legal team are demanding more clarity on what they did with the photos and the destruction of evidence. The families who lost their loved ones in the crash have two separate lawsuits. One of the alleges wrongful deaths against Island Express, the operator of the helicopter. The second lawsuit is filed against the county on the images shared. Especially those of human remains from the crash site