Vanessa Bryant, center, widow of Kobe Bryant, leaves federal court with her daughter Natalia and soccer player Sydney Leroux in Los Angeles, August 24, 2022.
Jae C. Hong/AP
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Jae C. Hong/AP
Vanessa Bryant, center, widow of Kobe Bryant, leaves federal court with her daughter Natalia and soccer player Sydney Leroux in Los Angeles, August 24, 2022.
Jae C. Hong/AP
LOS ANGELES – The family of the late Kobe Bryant has agreed to a $28.5 million settlement with Los Angeles County to settle the remaining claims in the lawsuit over the sharing of photos by deputies and firefighters. macabre photo of the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter and other victims killed in a 2020 helicopter crash, attorneys and court filings said Tuesday.
The figure includes a newly agreed payment from the county of $13.5 million along with $15 million that a federal jury awarded to Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, at a trial in August.
The agreement settles any future claims of Bryant’s three surviving daughters, related matters pending in state court, and other costs. A proposed settlement order, which a judge must approve, was filed Tuesday in federal court.
Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, said in a statement: “Today marks the successful culmination of Ms. Bryant’s courageous fight to hold those involved in this grotesque behavior accountable. “She fought for her husband, daughter, and everyone in the community whose family has passed away was treated with the same disrespect.”
Mira Hashmall, the attorney representing LA County, called the statement “fair and reasonable” and added, “We hope Ms. Bryant and her children continue to heal after their loss. “
Kobe Bryant, former Lakers star, five-time NBA champion and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was accompanying Gianna and seven others to a youth basketball game when The helicopter they were on board crashed down the hill in Calabasas west of Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.
Deputies and firefighters responding to the crash scene took pictures of the bodies and wreckage with their phones, which Hashmall argued at the trial was an essential part of assessing the situation.
But the photos were shared, mostly between the county sheriff’s and fire department employees, including some playing video games and attending an awards party. They were also seen by some of their spouses and in one case by a bartender at a bar where a deputy was drinking.
Li told the jury that the close-up photos had no official or investigative purpose, and were just “photo rumors” shared out of sheer curiosity.
Hashmall argued that the sheriff acted quickly and appropriately when ordering the photos to be deleted.
Vanessa Bryant tearfully testified during an 11-day trial that the news of the photos added to her grief is still intact a month after losing her husband and daughter, and that she is still alive. panic thinking they might still be out there and her daughters. may one day see them online.
The ruling in her favor was misread as $16 million in court, but was later corrected to $15 million.
Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the crash.
Chris Chester, Vanessa Bryant’s co-plaintiff at the trial, was also awarded $15 million at the trial and reached a separate settlement with the county in September for nearly $5 million.
