Vanessa Bryant has reached a nearly $29 million settlement with Los Angeles County to settle a legal dispute over photographs taken at the helicopter crash in which her husband, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna Bryant and seven other people were killed.
The settlement ends several years of lawsuits surrounding the January 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California and photos that circulated thereafter.
“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Luis Li, an attorney representing Bryant, said in a statement to CNN.
“She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice.”
The settlement comes after a federal grand jury found in August 2022 that the Los Angeles County police and fire department were responsible for violating the constitutional rights of Bryant and co-plaintiff Christopher Chester for taking photos of the downed helicopter sharing it.
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The photos included not only the wreckage of the helicopter, but also close-ups of the mangled bodies of the dead.
Bryant and Chester argued that the photos of their loved ones caused them emotional distress and violated their privacy.
Each said they lived in fear the photos would be released, despite the county’s claim that the photos had been destroyed.
According to Bryant’s attorney, the jury awarded Chester $15 million in damages and Bryant $16 million, which was later reduced to $15 million due to an administrative error.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed in September 2022 to pay an additional $4.95 million to Chester, who lost his wife Sarah and 13-year-old daughter Payton in the helicopter crash.
Los Angeles County attorney Mira Hashmul called the recent settlement with Bryant “fair and reasonable.”
Bianca Bella Bryant and Capri Kobe Bryant, the youngest daughters of the Bryant family, are named along with their mother in the suit.
