On January 26, 2020, Vanessa Bryant's husband, Kobe Bryant, their daughter Gianna, and seven other people were headed to a basketball game at Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy where Gianna was to play and he was to coach. The helicopter never made it to its destination. It crashed under foggy conditions, and no one on board survived. When Vanessa was informed about the crash that morning, she didn’t know if Kobe and Gianna had survived. She tried to get to the crash site via helicopter but wasn’t allowed. She ended up at the sheriff’s station in Malibu, which is close to where the crash happened.
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After much waiting and being taken from one room to another, a pastor, a publicist, and the Los Angeles County sheriff at the time, Alex Villanueva, came into the room where Vanessa was waiting. Vanessa asked for the publicist to leave because she wanted privacy. She was then informed that both her husband and daughter had died in the crash. Alex Villanueva asked Vanessa if there was anything he could do for her, and the one thing she asked for was that no photographs be taken of the bodies and the crash site. Sadly, unauthorized photographs were taken and shared, which is why Vanessa sued Los Angeles County. That suit came to a settlement on Tuesday. Following are the details and how much Vanessa and her surviving daughters were awarded.
Why did Vanessa sue Los Angeles County?
She and co-plaintiff Chris Chester, who also lost loved ones in the crash, sued after finding out via a Los Angeles Times article “that Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shared graphic photos” of the crash. Vanessa and Chris claimed that pictures of the victims’ bodies were shared on at least 28 devices owned by the LA County Sheriff’s Department plus at least a dozen on first responders’ devices.
Not only were the unauthorized photos taken, they were shared.
According to the Los Angeles Times, a “source said he saw one of the photos on the phone of another official, in a setting that had nothing to do with the investigation of the crash.” The photos have supposedly been destroyed or erased since then, but that assurance is of little comfort.
“I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up,” Vanessa testified.
Vanessa had specifically asked that no photos be taken at the site.
She shared in a deposition for the lawsuit that after learning of the deaths of her husband and daughter, she was asked by then Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva if he could do anything for her.
“And I said: ‘If you can’t bring my husband and baby back, please make sure that no one takes photographs of them. Please secure the area,’” Vanessa said. “And he said: ‘I will.’ And I said: ‘No, I need you to get on the phone right now and I need you to make sure you secure the area.’”
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County agreed to settle for almost $30 million.
The settlement includes $15 million that Vanessa was awarded by a jury in August plus funds to settle any future claims for her surviving daughters: Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. The total award for the family is $28.85 million. Vanessa previously stated that the funds would go to Mamba Sports Academy. Co-plaintiff Chris Chester was awarded $19.95 million.
Hopefully, this lawsuit prevents this from happening to anyone else.
“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Vanessa’s lawyer, Luis Li, said in a statement. “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.”
