If Vanessa Bryant wasn’t rich before, she definitely is now.
The widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant got the bag on Monday, Feb. 28, 2023, when Los Angeles County reached deep into its coffers to award nearly $30 million to her. This comes after the mother of four won her lawsuit against the deputies and firefighters who reprehensibly took and shared photos of Kobe and Gianna “Gigi” Bryant’s bodies following the tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Jan. 26, 2020.
Kobe and Gianna were among the nine casualties of the crash. In the heinous act of disrespect, first responders raced to the site of the ball of fire in the mountains of Southern California and took photos. One deputy even shared the images at a restaurant to impress a bartender.
In August 2022, a Los Angeles County jury had already awarded Bryant $15 million. Bryant is getting that plus an additional $13.5 million on the claims of invasion of privacy to bring the total to $28.5 million.
“This settlement now concluded all County-related litigation related to the tragic January 2020 helicopter crash,” said the county’s lead trial lawyer, Mira Hashmall. “We hope Ms. Bryant and her children continue to heal from their loss.”
Vanessa Bryant indicated that she lives in constant fear that some photos of her deceased husband and daughter will one day float through cyberspace and be found by her surviving daughters.
The county is not finished paying out. In August, the jury also awarded $15 million to Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were also killed in the crash. The county agreed to pay the Chester family an additional nearly $5 million to prevent any future claims.
Furthermore, two other families separately settled with the county over the photos for $1.25 million each in October of 2021.
