A jury awarded $16 million in damages to Vanessa Bryant over emotional distress caused by unauthorized photos taken at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, NBA legend Kobe Bryant. The jury ruled that the photos invaded her privacy. Pictures of Kobe’s remains after the crash were shared by LA County police and firefighters.
A $31 million jury verdict against Los Angeles County for deputies and firefighters sharing graphic images of the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter, and other victims killed in a 2020 helicopter crash resulted in a $16 million payment to Kobe Bryant’s wife on Wednesday.
All the nine jurors concurred that Vanessa Bryant’s privacy was violated and that the images had upset her. As it was read, she sobbed silently.
The jury deliberated 4 1/2 hours before reaching the verdict on Kobe Bryant Day, which is celebrated in LA on Aug. 24 because it represents his jersey numbers — 8 and 24 — and is the day after his birthday. He would have turned 44 on Tuesday.
Vanessa Bryant also took to Instagram after the verdict was out, to share pictures of her daughter and of her husband. The caption read– “All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi!”
The majority of the people who shared the photos were members of the LA County sheriffs and fire departments. Occasionally, this occurred in the context of fun, such as when some of the employees were playing video games or attending an awards banquet. The spouses of some of the employees and, in one instance, a bartender at a bar where a sheriff’s officer was drinking, also saw the photographs of the collision.
The photos added to Vanessa Bryant’s grief after she lost her husband and daughter
After losing her husband and daughter a month prior, Vanessa Bryant testified during the 11-day trial with tears in her eyes that learning about the photos added to her grief and that she was still prone to panic attacks when she considered the possibility that they might still be out there.
“I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up,” she testified in reference to the grisly images. “I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”
Chris Chester, a co-plaintiff with her who lost both his wife and kid in the crash, received a $15 million settlement. “We’re grateful for a jury and a judge who gave us a fair trial,” said Jerry Jackson, who was Chester’s lawyer.
The attorneys’ views on the circulation of the images
According to Vanessa Bryant’s attorney Luis Li, the close-up pictures were simply circulated as “visual gossip” out of morbid curiosity. According to him, they had no official or investigative purpose.
However, County Attorney, J. Mira Hashmall, said that the photos that were circulated were a necessary tool for assessing the situation. However, she acknowledged that they should have not been shared with everyone who saw them. She claimed that the photos never made it to the public eye and that the plaintiffs had never seen them.
On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant, a former Lakers player, five-time NBA champion, and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was headed to a kids basketball tournament with Gianna and seven other people when the helicopter they were riding in crashed into hills in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles. The pilot was blamed for the crash by federal officials.