Los Angeles County agrees to pay Vanessa Bryant nearly $29 million over helicopter crash photos

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County agreed to pay Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, $28.85 million to settle a lawsuit over photos taken at the crash site where the basketball legend and the couple’s daughter died and showed their remains, USA Today.

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Kobe Bryant, 41, and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, 13, were in a helicopter on Jan. 26, 2020, along with seven others when it crashed near Los Angeles, the Times reported. All seven on board were killed.

The settlement includes the $15 million judgment that Vanessa Bryant won against the county sheriff’s and fire departments after a jury trial last year, according to The New York Times. The additional funds are to settle any potential claims from her daughters, Natalia, 20; Capri,3; and Bianka, 6.

Vanessa Bryant learned after the crash that some of the employees with Los Angeles County fire and sheriff’s departments had taken and shared photos of the victims’ bodies according to the newspaper. She sued the county for negligence and invasion of privacy and won the suit during the trial in August 2022.

Her lawyers argued that the first responders had “no legitimate business reason” for taking the photos, according to USA Today.

Initially, she was awarded $16 million but it was adjusted to $15 million due to a clerical error.

“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Luis Li, Bryant’s lawyer, said in a statement after the settlement was awarded, the Times reported. “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.”

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Photos: Kobe Bryant through the years NEW YORK - 1996: First Round NBA draft pick Kobe Bryant poses for a photo. Copyright 1996 NBAE (Photo by Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images) (Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images)