Vanessa Bryant settled with L.A. County for $28.8 million in a lawsuit over the sharing of photos of human remains from the helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe Bryant, her daughter Gianna and seven others.
Bryant initially won and was granted a $15 million settlement in 2022 but amended the initial lawsuit to add her daughters, 20-year-old daughter Natalia and 6-year-old Bianka, and 3-year-old Capri, according to TMZ. The secondary settlement of approximately $13 million now accounts for her children. Bryant’s lawyer, Luis Li, said this resolves both Vanessa’s original complaint and the subsequent award, and embraces any potential future claims from her surviving daughters, according to TMZ.
JUST IN: Vanessa Bryant awarded $29 million settlement in Lawsuit against LA County over helicopter crash photos. pic.twitter.com/soKuq7yNR6
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) March 1, 2023
“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Li said.
Li described the lengthy and emotionally difficult process that Bryant has endured in order to reach the settlement. “She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect,” he said. (RELATED: ‘Piles Of Meat’: Vanessa Bryant Sobs In Court As Photos Of Dead Bodies From Kobe’s Helicopter Crash Are Described)
ESPN story on Vanessa Bryant settling crash photos suit for $28.85 million: https://t.co/oKZWtHArhm
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 1, 2023
Bryant openly spoke about the horror she felt when it was revealed that images of her deceased husband and daughter were publicly shared. She expressed deep concern for the damage it may cause her daughters if those images were ever leaked to them in future.
“We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice,” Li said, according to TMZ.
Vanessa and her team had previously indicated the money from this settlement would be donated to her Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, according to TMZ.