Over the next eight months the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and her 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash, wife and widowed mother Vanessa Bryant have decided to sue Los Angeles County for negligence and invasion of privacy. It happened after a group of officers took graphic photos of the crash site and decimated them. Bryant won the lawsuit last week, but in a new development, his civil trial earnings fell by seven figures.
After the jury found Los Angeles County responsible, Vanessa Bryant initially received $ 16 million in the verdict and her co-plaintiff, Chris Chester, who also lost her partner and daughter, received $ 15 million. dollars. However, Bryant’s amount was reduced from $ 1 million to a total of $ 15 million due to a mistrial. The ruling was considered by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who said the jury’s intent was to award Bryant and Chester an equal amount in the verdict.
Kobe Bryant’s widowed wife agreed to change the verdict over the weekend and the jury was not called to court, reportedly United States today (opens in a new tab). With the change implemented, Vanessa Bryant will receive $ 1.5 million from the sheriff’s department for past emotional distress (instead of $ 2.5 million), $ 6 million from the Los Angeles County Fire Department for emotional distress and $ 7.5 million for the department’s future distress due to the pictures taken and the shared remains of his family who died in the he 2020 incident Bryant intends to donate the money to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, which will benefit from funding for sports programs for disadvantaged athletes.
In September 2020, Bryant filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County after the photos were shared. The lawsuit also claimed at the time that Sheriff Alex Villanueva took no action against his deputies until a complaint was filed. Vanessa Bryant only spoke earlier this month, August 10, where she shared that she was still experiencing panic attacks due to existence and photo sharing.
Their attorney, Luis Li, said the photos of Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s remains were passed to at least 28 sheriff’s department devices and at least 12 firefighters. Among the evidence presented in court to the jury was a video of an off-duty officer showing photos to a bartender while drinking in a bar. Los Angeles County employees also reportedly shared the photos in a bar as they “walked to the dismemberment and displayed the photos over a cocktail at an awards ceremony,” according to Washington Post .
During the trial, Bryant too brought an expert on the recent high-profile case of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard . As a former captain spoke a few weeks ago, he said he was shown photos and saying “they would haunt me forever” when he spoke. Bryant received a lot of support for her case, including kind words from Shaquille O’Neal, who he said it was “a good thing to hold people accountable” for actions that negatively affected her and her family.
This week also Vanessa Bryant paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on his birthday who would have turned 44 on 23 August. After the verdict, I hope you can rest easy knowing that you have found justice for your negligence and invasion of privacy against Los Angeles County.
Source: Cinemablend
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
