Vanessa Bryant was awarded $16 million in damages from a Los Angeles jury after images of the 2020 helicopter crash involving her husband, Kobe Bryant, and their daughter, Gianna, were released. The jury ruled on Aug. 24 and found that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department distributed graphics of the scene of the event to others, causing emotional distress and invading the privacy of the victims’ families. .
Chris Chester, Bryant’s co-claimant, has also been awarded $15 million for their combined claim, bringing the total to $31 million. Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and six other Lakers family members died in a horrific helicopter crash in California, Los Angeles, in January 2020. Chester’s wife, Sarah, and their daughter, Payton, were also killed in the tragedy. The trial began on August 10, 2022 and has already revealed shocking information about the aftermath of the helicopter crash. Vanessa and Chris have filed a lawsuit against the above agencies for mental and emotional stress. According to the complaint, images of the dead were shared publicly on 28 sheriff-owned devices.
Ciara and Monica support Vanessa Bryant during trial over photos of husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna pic.twitter.com/50Ow06duZg
— Dionne Grant (@DionneGrant) August 23, 2022
Vanessa Bryant hasn’t become a billionaire yet.
Born on May 5, 1982, Vanessa is a well-known philanthropist. In 2007, she co-founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation with the intent 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 obtained by her late basketball star husband, Kobe Bryant.
Vanessa, then 17, met Kobe, 21, while she was working as a backup dancer for a music video at a studio where Kobe was working on his first album. They started dating shortly after and were engaged within six months of meeting. Kobe & 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 when they were young. About her recently winning case, Vanessa Bryant said she started having panic attacks after learning that photos of Kobe and Gianna’s accident had been publicly distributed by authorities at the location.
During her testimony last week, the 40-year-old described how she felt at home when she saw the Los Angeles Times piece stating that county officials had distributed photos of the accident scene.
“I ran out of the house and hurried 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, hurt and cheated.”
“I never want to see these pictures again. I want to remember my partner and children as they once were.”
Vanessa Bryant rejected a $2.5 million county settlement over emotional distress in November 2021 and chose to sue county officials for a larger payout. The emotional two-week trial ended on Mamba Day, a tribute to the late Lakers icon, whose jersey numbers were #24 and #8.
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