Why did Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa Bryant, file a lawsuit against Los Angeles County in which she won $16 million?
Vanessa Bryant has dealt with a lot of emotional problems in the past two and a half years. In January 2020, she lost her husband, Kobe Bryant, and daughter Gianna. The two tragically died in a helicopter crash.
Losing the basketball legend was very shocking, but one thing made the situation even worse. Shortly after the helicopter crash, first responders took pictures of the accident, and these pictures included human remains.
Losing two close family members is a huge tragedy, and it's understandable that the leaked photos caused even more emotional pain to Vanessa. That's when Bryant's wife sued Los Angeles County and ended up winning the lawsuit.
Vanessa Bryant sued Los Angeles County after Kobe's death
The helicopter crash occurred on Jan. 26, and Kobe Bryant was identified as one of the victims two days later. The unfortunate incident took nine lives in total, including the life of the basketball legend and his daughter.
After the crash, eight Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies took photos of the scene. These photos included graphic images and even victim bodies, which was simply not acceptable.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva ordered deputies to delete the photos, but it was too late as they'd been leaked.
Vanessa Bryant sued the sheriff's office in September 2020. While taking photos was not against the law, it also wasn't ethical. Furthermore, leaking the photo was very insensitive and made the situation much worse for the families of the victims, including Kobe Bryant's wife.
“This lawsuit is about accountability and about preventing this disgraceful behavior from happening to other families in the future who have suffered loss,” Luis Li, Vanessa Bryant's attorney, said regarding the lawsuit.
Fans around the world marked the one year anniversary of basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s death.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash last January. https://t.co/6v8HwZNXNC
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Additionally, Bryant's wife did not believe that the photos were deleted, and she thought that the sheriff's office simply wanted to cover up the misconduct.
“Mrs. Bryant feels ill at the thought of strangers gawking at images of her deceased husband and child and she lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online,” the lawsuit stated.
Chris Chester, who lost his wife and 13-year year old daughter in the helicopter crash, joined Vanessa's lawsuit. Chester claimed that he was fearful he'd see the photos one day.
The lawsuit aftermath
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, California passed Assembly Bill No. 2655. The bill states that first responders are not allowed to take unauthorized photos of victims of a crime or accident.
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Chris Chester ended up receiving $15 million from the lawsuit, while the late Kobe Bryant's wife received $16 million.
Unfortunately, Sheriff Villanueva admitted that he had no way of knowing if the photos had been deleted. While they haven't emerged yet, there is a chance that they will come to light, which is what the families of the victims fear.