Vanessa Bryant is settling for $28.85 million from L.A. County to conclude legal proceedings over shared photos of the helicopter crash that took the lives of her husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna in 2020. Six other passengers were lost in the accident, as well as the pilot.
“We believe the settlement approved by the Board in the Bryant case is fair and reasonable. … We hope Ms. Bryant and her children continue to heal from their loss,” stated Mira Hashmall, who led the trial counsel for L.A. County.
Bryant announced in 2022 her plans to donate $15 million to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, which assists young and underserved athletes.
Vanessa Bryant first filed her lawsuit in September 2020 and accused L.A. County of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and privacy invasion. Legal documents alleged that law enforcement took photos at the scene of the crash and then shared to at least 28 devices owned by members of the Sheriff’s Department, while a dozen county firefighters also had close-up images of the scene.