Vanessa Bryant settles lawsuit with Los Angeles County over helicopter crash photos for $28.85 million

Vanessa Bryant has settled her lawsuit against Los Angeles County over employees of the county’s fire and police departments allegedly sharing photos from the crash that killed Kobe Bryant and their daughter, Gianna, for $28.85 million, according to court filings obtained by Jonathan Abrams of The New York Times.

Vanessa Bryant filed the suit in Sept. 2020, and won $16 million in Aug. 2022.

According to Abrams, “the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay Bryant’s family $28.85 million to settle Bryant’s lawsuit and potential future claims by Bryant and her daughters: Natalia, 20, Bianka, 6, and Capri, 3.”

For the full details on the lawsuit and comments from both lawyers involved about the settlement, check out Abrams’ entire story below:

The fact that a lawsuit like this was necessary or warranted is both sad and despicable, but to outline why it was, here is a quote from Vanessa Bryant at trial, courtesy of Abrams’ story above:

Bryant testified at trial that she learned from a Los Angeles Times report that a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy had showed photos of the crash at a bar. The existence of the photos, Bryant said, compounded the tragedy.

“I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up,” Bryant testified.

It is impossible not to empathize with that sentiment. Hopefully holding the county accountable like this can bring Vanessa and the rest of the Bryant family some measure of peace about that particularly gross aspect of this already tragic situation. They certainly deserve it.

As for the money, the attorney for the Bryant family has previously said that Vanessa plans to donate it to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation established in Kobe and Gianna’s memories.

According to the foundation’s website, it is “a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating positive impact for underserved athletes and boys & girls in sports.”