Vanessa Bryant and Los Angeles County settle a lawsuit against Kobe and Gianna Bryant over photos taken in 2020 when a helicopter crashed into hills

Vanessa Bryant has reached a nearly $29 million agreement with Los Angeles County to settle a lawsuit over photos that were taken at the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, her daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others.

The lawsuit was brought by Bryant and her co-plaintiff Christopher Chester, as well as two other people, after a helicopter crash that killed nine people.

Luis Li, a lawyer for Bryant, said in a statement that the victory was marks the end of Mrs. Bryant’s brave battle to hold accountable those who engage in this grotesque conduct. “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.”

They argued the photos of their loved ones violated their privacy, and caused emotional distress. Each testified to living in fear the photos may surface, despite the county’s assertion the pictures had been destroyed.

“The $28,850,000 settlement includes the verdict awarded by the federal jury in August 2022, and further 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,” Hashmall said in a statement.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay more money to Chester after his wife and daughter were killed in a helicopter crash.

Kobe Bryant, the former Lakers star, five-time NBA champion and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was traveling with Gianna and seven others to a youth basketball game when the helicopter they were aboard crashed into hills in Calabasas west of Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2020.

Relating the Hashmall and the Officers at the Collision Vicinity in Lenticularly Isolated Vehicles

Deputies and firefighters responding to the crash scene shot phone photos of the bodies and the wreckage, which Hashmall argued at trial were an essential part of assessing the situation.

The pictures were shared by the employees of the two departments, most of whom were playing video games and attending an awards banquet. They were also seen by some of their spouses and in one case by a bartender at a bar where a deputy was drinking.

She testified that she is still struggling with grief after the death of her husband and daughter and that she still fears that they might find a way to post the pictures online.