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Vanessa Bryant has settled in a lawsuit against Los Angeles County for $29 million over crash site photos that were shared after the 2020 helicopter crash that took the lives of her husband, daughter, and seven others.
The settlement closes the remaining claims Bryant initially made in a lawsuit against Los Angeles County after police officers and firefighters shared photos of the 2020 helicopter crash site that involved her husband, Kobe Bryant, daughter, Gianna Bryant, and seven others.
In August 2022, Bryant was awarded roughly $16 million in federal court as part of the lawsuit. The additional $13 million was agreed upon this week bringing the total to $29 million.
Vanessa Bryant settles for a total of $29 million
“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Luis Li, Vanessa Bryant’s attorney, 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.”
Pictures of the helicopter crash site were widely shared by police officers and firefighters and their spouses after the 2020 accident. One picture was shared with a bartender where a sheriff’s deputy was drinking following the crash.
During the 11-day trial in August, Vanessa Bryant testified that news of the photos compounded her grief a month after the crash and that she had panic attacks at the thought that the photos might still be out there.
Bryant took the stand during the trial, noting the difficulties she has faced since the pictures were released. “I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up. I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”