Vanessa Bryant has been awarded $16 million in damages by a Los Angeles jury after images from the 2020 helicopter crash involving her husband, Kobe Bryant, and their daughter, Gianna, were released. The jury returned its verdict on August 24, finding that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Fire Department shared graphic images from the scene with others, causing emotional distress and invading the privacy of the victims’ families.
Chris Chester, Bryant’s co-plaintiff, was also awarded $15 million for their joint lawsuit, bringing the total to $31 million. Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and six other Lakers family members died in a horrific helicopter crash in January 2020 in California, Los Angeles. Chester’s wife Sarah and their daughter Payton also died in the tragedy. The trial began on August 10, 2022, and has already revealed some shocking information about the consequences of the helicopter crash. Vanessa and Chris filed a lawsuit against said agencies for mental and emotional pain. According to the complaint, images of the dead were shared publicly on 28 devices owned by the Sheriff’s Department.
Ciara and Monica support Vanessa Bryant at trial over photos of husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna from the scene of the accident 🖤 pic.twitter.com/50Ow06duZg
— Dionne Grant (@DionneGrant) August 23, 2022
Vanessa Bryant hasn’t become a billionaire yet.
Vanessa, who was born on May 5, 1982, is a well-known philanthropist. In 2007, she co-founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation with the intention of providing scholarships to minority students around the world. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Vanessa Bryant’s current estimated net worth is $600 million, most of which was acquired by her late basketball star husband, Kobe Bryant.
Vanessa, then 17, met Kobe, 21, while working as a background dancer for a music video at the studio where Kobe was working on his first album. They started dating soon after and became engaged six months after meeting. Kobe and Vanessa were married in April 2001 at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in California. They had four daughters: Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, Natalia Diamante Bryant, Capri Kobe Bryant and Bianka Bella Bryant, who died young. Regarding the recently won lawsuit, Vanessa Bryant said she had panic attacks after learning that authorities at the scene had released photos of Kobe and Gianna’s accident.
During her testimony last week, the 40-year-old described how she felt at home when she saw a Los Angeles Times article that said county staff had circulated photos from the crash scene.
“I rushed out of the house and hurried around the back so the girls couldn’t see me. I wanted to scream and run down the street.”
After receiving the news, she said she felt “devastated, wounded and betrayed.”
“I never want to see these photos again. I want to remember my spouse and children as they once were.”
Vanessa Bryant rejected a $2.5 million emotional distress settlement from the county in November 2021 and decided to sue county departments for a bigger payout. The two-week emotional trial ended on Mamba Day, which is in honor of the deceased Lakers icon, whose jersey numbers were #24 and #8.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education