Los Angeles County must pay Kobe Bryant’s widow and a co-plaintiff $31 million in damages for graphic photos taken at the scene of a helicopter crash that killed the basketball star and eight others, a jury ordered Wednesday. Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who rushed to the scene of the January 2020 crash photographed the carnage, including the remains of the Los Angeles Lakers legend and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. A trial in Los Angeles heard how some of those first responders showed members of the public photos — including a bartender — of a deputy texting their friend while the pair played video games.
Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, whose wife, Sarah, and daughter, Peyton, also died in the crash, sued for emotional damages over the photos, which they said they feared would one day be released on the Internet.
A civil jury ordered the county to pay $16 million to Bryant and $15 million to Chester, after deliberating for just a few hours.
The award represents a remedy for past and future suffering.
Bryant wept as the verdict was read and left the courtroom without speaking to waiting reporters.
She later posted a photo of her with her late husband and daughter on Instagram, with the caption: “All for you! I love you! Justice for Kobe and Gigi!”
“Responsibility”
Chester’s lawyer on Tuesday called for $1 million for each year of the plaintiff’s expected life, amounting to $40 million for the 40-year-old Bryant and $30 million for the 48-year-old Chester.
“You can’t pay too much for what they did,” attorney Jerry Jackson said.
Bryant’s lawyer, Craig Lavoie, said he wanted “justice and accountability” for the basketball great — a hero of the city of Los Angeles — and his widow.
“We’re here because of intentional behavior. Intentional behavior by those charged with protecting Sarah and Peyton and Kobe and Gianna’s dignity.”
“The county violated the constitutional rights of Ms. Bryant and Mr. Chester,” Lavoie said, asking the jury to hold the county responsible for “constitutional violations of its employees.”
For the county, Mira Hashmol said that even if the employees broke the privacy policy, Bryant and Chester’s privacy was not violated because the photos were never in the public domain.
“This is a photo case, but there are no pictures,” he told jurors earlier. “One simple fact that cannot be ignored — there has been no public campaign.”
After the ruling, Hashmall said he and fellow attorneys would consult with the county about “next steps.”
“Meanwhile, we hope the Bryant and Chester families continue to heal from their tragic loss,” a statement said.
Relatives of crash victims paid a total of $2.5 million in damages last year for the photos.
The jury’s order comes as Los Angeles celebrates “Mamba Day” on August 24, or 8/24, the two numbers that Kobe Bryant wore for more than 20 years as a professional.
An investigation into the accident found that the pilot likely became disoriented after the Sikorsky S-76 took off in fog while taking his passengers to a girls’ basketball tournament in nearby Thousand Oaks.
Kobe Bryant is widely recognized as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, a man who became the face of his game during an illustrious two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was a five-time NBA champion in a career that began straight out of high school in 1996 and lasted until his retirement in 2016.
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