Vanessa Bryant settled with Los Angeles County yesterday for nearly $29 million in a lawsuit about pictures taken and shared of the fatal 2020 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of her husband and NBA legend Kobe Bryant, her 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others.
According to ESPN, the exact amount is $28.85 million, $15 million of which a jury already awarded Bryant after a trial in federal court in 2022.
“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Vanessa Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, 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.”
The co-plaintiff, Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter was also killed in the crash, was awarded $19,950,000.
Mira Hashmall, the lead lawyer representing LA County, said that the settlement was “fair and reasonable” and said that it “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.”