Vanessa Bryant is involved in an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters and pilot Ara Zobayan's estate. The wife of Kobe Bryant filed the lawsuit in February, and is seeking monetary compensation for the deaths of her husband and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, who was also aboard the helicopter when they crashed on January 26.
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The pilot crashed into a fog-covered mountainside on a Sunday morning when they were on their way to one of Gigi's basketball games, killing all nine people on board. The pilot was reportedly struggling to avoid the clouds and did not have the legal authority to navigate with his instruments because the aircraft owner did not have the necessary federal certification. Now Vanessa is seeking millions in compensation and is asking for the case to go to a jury trial.
The family's life changed forever on January 26.
The helicopter that the basketball star, and seven other passengers, was traveling in slammed into a mountainside that was covered by fog. According to The New York Times and the text messages that were released in June by the National Transportation Safety Board, a charter service manager told the pilot that the weather in Southern California could be an issue. The pilot, Ara Zobayan, texted that he had checked the forecast writing: “Not the best day tomorrow but it is not as bad as today.” He then said he would advise the charter service the next morning on the weather. On the morning of the flight, the pilot wrote, “weather looking OK” in a text message to Patti Taylor, the operations manager of OC Helicopters, which had arranged the charter.
The family used helicopters frequently.
Vanessa previously shared photos and videos of herself and her family on one of their regular helicopter rides. The NBA star famously flew to his games and practices in a helicopter to avoid Los Angeles traffic, so he could spend more time at home with his family.
Vanessa filed a wrongful death suit against the company.
The widow's lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on February 24, the same day a memorial celebration for Kobe and Gianna Bryant took place at the Staples Center. The lawsuit alleged numerous counts of negligence and wrongful death against Island Express Helicopters, the helicopter's operator in the January 26 crash in Calabasas, California. The crash killed nine people, including pilot Ara Zobayan.
Kobe and Gigi died while going to a basketball game in January.
The group was heading to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, for a youth basketball game when their helicopter crashed that Sunday morning. The mom filed a lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters in February, alleging the pilot had failed to safely operate the aircraft. CNN reviewed FAA records and found that Island Express was only certified for using visual flight rules but that the conditions the day of the crash should have required instrument flight rules. According to the suit, the helicopter was not licensed or certified for that.
The pilot's family reacted to the lawsuit.
According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast in May, Berge Zobayan, the pilot's widow, filed a response in the ongoing wrongful death lawsuit. Her legal team suggested several reasons that the blame should not be placed solely on pilot Ara Zobayan. In the filing, the pilot's lawyers claim that any injuries sustained in the crash happened after Kobe's and the other passengers' "voluntary encounter" with the risks of flying.
The pilot's family believes he is not responsible.
The pilot's brother responded to Vanessa Bryant's wrongful death lawsuit, claiming that Kobe Bryant and other passengers flew knowing the risks. In court documents obtained by ET, the family argues that the basketball star knew the risks of flying and stated that his surviving family members are not entitled to damages from the pilot's estate. "Any injuries or damages to plaintiffs and/or their decedent were directly caused in full or in part by the negligence or fault of plaintiffs and/or their decedent, including their knowing and voluntary encounter with the risks involved, and that this negligence was a substantial factor in causing their purported damages, for which this answering defendant bears no responsibility," the documents filed by the pilot's representative claimed. The response, which was submitted on May 8, also lists Kobe's daughters as plaintiffs and requested a jury trial.
The company filed a response to the lawsuit.
"This was a tragic accident. We will have no comment on the pending litigation," Island Express Helicopters said in a statement at the time when the lawsuit was filed. Since then, the helicopter company has denied the allegations that any injuries or damages were a result of any action it made. In court documents obtained by ET, the company now claims that the passengers "had actual knowledge of all of the circumstances, particular dangers, and an appreciation of the risks involved and the magnitude thereof, and proceeded to encounter a known risk, and voluntarily assume the risk of the accident, injury, and damages." The company also states that it was "an unavoidable accident and not proximately caused by any alleged act or omission on the part."
Vanessa claims the family lost "hundreds of millions of dollars" in lost earnings from Kobe's death.
Vanessa is seeking monetary damages in her wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters. In a case summary filed in June, she was asking for substantial compensation from the helicopter company. Vanessa is saying that her husband's death cost their family "hundreds of millions of dollars," according to court documents obtained by E! News. The documents also state, "Although the total specific amount of personal injury damages that Plaintiff seeks is TBD, Kobe Bryant's future lost earnings equals hundreds of millions of dollars." Island Express declined to comment when contacted for a comment by the publication.
Vanessa wants Congress to pass the Kobe and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act.
In June, Vanessa urged Congress to pass a new helicopter safety bill named after her husband and daughter. "I strongly urge that the United States Congress pass a federal law that would improve the safety of helicopters operating in this country," she said in statement to CNN. "I believe there is a chance that Kobe and Gianna would still be alive today if their helicopter had been equipped with the safety equipment required by this pending federal legislation." Her comments come after Democratic lawmakers on Thursday introduced the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act. The legislation would require all helicopters certified to carry six or more people to be equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. "I believe that these safety measures will save many lives," Vanessa said of the bill.
The mom is suing for damages because of the loss of her husband and daughter.
The documents don't state an exact amount that the family is seeking. "As a result of Kobe Bryant's and GB's deaths, Vanessa Bryant seeks economic damages, non-economic damages, prejudgment interest, punitive damages, and other relief as the Court deems just and proper," the documents that People obtained stated. The case summary statement also revealed that Vanessa is seeking a jury trial for the lawsuit. No date has been set yet.
Other people affected by the crash are also suing.
Vanessa is going after the company's pilot, Ara Zobayan, who was flying the helicopter when it crashed on a foggy morning of January 26. He was flying Kobe, Gianna, and six others to a basketball game. All the people on board—John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli; Sarah and Payton Chester; and Christina Mauser—died, including the pilot. The four families of the other victims who died in the crash also filed wrongful death suits against the helicopter company Island Express Helicopters.
The helicopter company had prior complaints.
The New York Times reported that the company operating the aircraft, Island Express Helicopters, already had a series of disputes over its safety practices over the years, according to federal accident reports and a former federal safety inspector.
Vanessa's lawsuit claims there were areas where the pilot was negligent.
Vanessa’s lawsuit alleges that the company Island Express Helicopters was negligent and that Ara Zobayan did not use “ordinary care in piloting the subject aircraft,” which was flying at 180 miles per hour and navigating through fog in the moments before the crash. In the original 72-page lawsuit, obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Vanessa claimed that the pilot "had a duty to use that degree of care that an ordinarily careful and prudent pilot would use under the same or similar circumstances." The lawsuit also cites several areas where the pilot may have been negligent and also alleges that Island Express Helicopters had "advance knowledge of the unfitness" of the pilot due to a previous violation that took place in 2015.
A bill regarding safety is to be named after the dad and daughter.
"As passengers traveling on aircrafts we assume that proper safety measures are in order to prevent accidents from happening before we fly. It's unfortunate that this is not the case and aircraft companies must do their part to protect lives," the statement read. Similar legislation had been introduced the month of the accident, and the mom was reportedly "deeply moved" when she learned that the legislation would be named after her husband and daughter. "Having Kobe's and Gianna's names associated with this federal law that has the potential to save countless lives would be a fitting tribute to their memory," she said. She also suggested that the helicopter industry "consider renaming the black box to Mamba 8 Box in honor of the 3 young Mamba team players, the 2 Mamba coaches and the 3 Mamba parents onboard, equaling 8."
The pilot's attorneys want the trial moved out of Los Angeles.
Vanessa requested a jury trial, and lawyers for Ara Zobayan’s estate say they intend to ask for the trial be moved outside of Los Angeles because they believe locals can't be fair jurors given Kobe’s fame as a five-time championship winner for the Los Angeles Lakers, The US Sun reported. “Defendant Zobayan intends to file a motion to transfer venue to a county outside Los Angeles county on the grounds that an impartial jury cannot be empaneled in Los Angeles Superior Court in this matter,” the court documents say, according to the outlet.
