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A federal jury has awarded Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa $16 million after an 11-day civil trial that went into graphic detail about gruesome photos that were taken and shared from the scene of a helicopter crash that killed all nine aboard in January 2020, including the NBA legend and his daughter.
Both plaintiffs sued the county and brought the case to trial not because they believed the county was responsible for the crash but because of what happened right afterward with the taking and sharing of photos of their family members’ remains.
They asked the jurors to decide three general questions:
Conversely, the verdict marked a big defeat to the taxpayer-funded county, which insisted throughout the case that the photos were not publicly disseminated under the standard required by federal precedent. The county’s legal team said the photos never were posted online and were forever deleted shortly after the crash in an effort to prevent their further spread.
In a statement after the verdict, the county’s lead outside counsel noted the $31 million combined verdict for the two plaintiffs didn’t come close to the $75 million combined verdict proposed in court a day earlier by Chester’s attorney, Jerome Jackson.
“We are grateful for the jury’s hard work in this case,” said a statement from Mira Hashmall of the firm Miller Barondess. “While we disagree with the jury’s findings as to the County’s liability, we believe the monetary award shows that jurors didn’t believe the evidence supported the Plaintiffs’ request of $75 million for emotional distress. We will be discussing next steps with our client. Meanwhile, we hope the Bryant and Chester families continue to heal from their tragic loss.”
Of the $16 million verdict for Bryant, the jury attributed $10 million to the sheriff’s department and $6 million to the fire department. Similarly, the jury attributed $9 million of Chester’s award to the sheriff’s department and $6 million to the fire department.
The awards cover their past and future emotional distress, as their attorneys told the jury they live in fear that the photos will one day re-emerge to terrorize them and their families.
