Vanessa Bryant’s Helicopter Crash Lawsuit Has Been Settled

Willie Plaza

Vanessa Bryant’s helicopter crash lawsuit has been settled. County attorneys verified on Tuesday (Feb. 28), that Bryant will receive a settlement of $28,850,000 over the dispersal of graphic photos from the helicopter crash that took the life of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old Gianna (their daughter), and seven others.

The compensation arrives after Mrs. Bryant won $15 million in August 2022 for suing Los Angeles County for invasion of privacy and involves additional monies to resolve prospective claims from her, Capri, Natalia, and Bianka (the couple’s three daughters).

The gruesome images of Kobe and Gianna were distributed mostly between sheriff and fire department staffers in LA County. Some of their spouses also saw the images and in one scenario by a bartender at a pub where a deputy was imbibing.

Bryant said shortly after the helicopter crash she caught wind that the pictures had been shared, which multiplied her anxiety about her daughters running across the graphic photos on social media.

Vanessa Bryant Helicopter Crash Lawsuit — Kobe Bryant w/ daughter Gianna

Vanessa Bryant’s Helicopter Crash Lawsuit Settlement Is Warranted

Luis Li (Vanessa Bryant’s lawyer) released in a statement: “Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct. 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.”

Mira Hashmall (LA County’s lead trial counsel for Bryant’s case) remarked: “We believe the settlement approved by the Board in the Bryant case is fair and reasonable. The $28,850,000 settlement includes the verdict awarded by the federal jury in August 2022, and further resolves all outstanding issues related to pending legal claims in state court, future claims by the Bryant children, and other costs, with each party responsible for its respective attorneys’ fees.”