A Los Angeles jury has awarded Vanessa Bryant $US16 million ($23.2 million) over gruesome photos from the scene of the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and the couple’s teenage daughter Gianna.
Thursday’s verdict came after an 11-day civil trial that went into graphic detail about photos taken and shared from the January 2020 crash that killed all nine on board.
The jury deliberated for three hours before awarding $US31 million in damages after finding the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Fire Departments liable for infringing on Ms Bryant’s constitutional rights, as well as those of co-plaintiff Christopher Chester.
Ms Bryant, 40, was awarded $US16 million in damages, with $US15 million for Mr Chester – a financial adviser whose wife and daughter also died in the crash.
Mr Bryant hugged her lawyers and wept after the verdict was delivered on Thursday (Australian time).
She tearfully embraced her daughter Natalia, and then left the court without making a statement. Later, she posted on Instagram, alongside a photo of herself with Bryant and Gianna.
“All for you! I love you! Justice for Kobe and Gigi!” she wrote.
LA County lawyer Mira Hashmall said further steps in the case would be considered.
“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,” she said.
“We will be discussing next steps with our client. Meanwhile, we hope the Bryant and Chester families continue to heal from their tragic loss.”
Bryant and then 13-year-old Gianna, Mr Chester’s wife Sarah and daughter Payton died along with five others when his helicopter crashed into a Los Angeles hillside in bad weather on January 27, 2020.
The group was travelling in Bryant’s helicopter to his Mamba Sports Academy at Thousand Oaks, California, for a basketball match.
The National Transportation Safety Board later determined the helicopter pilot pushed the limits of bad weather flying rules before he crashed into a hillside in Calabasas.
Ms Bryant launched legal action against the sheriff’s department, the LA County Fire Department and the County of Los Angeles last year, accusing them of invasion of privacy and negligence surrounding the investigation into the crash.
She had previously gone public with documents alleging up to eight members of the emergency response and follow-up investigation team took images of the crash site.
LA County’s lawyers insisted the photos were not publicly shared under a standard required by federal precedent. The photos never were posted online and were forever deleted shortly after the crash, in an effort to prevent their further spread.
Ms Bryant’s lawyer Luis Li asked LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva about the shared photos during the trial.
“You have no idea, do you, where all of the photographs went, do you?” he said.
“I believe they were all deleted,” Mr Villanueva said.
Mr Li asked him if he could be certain.
“God knows, and that’s about it,” Mr Villanueva said.
Witnesses also included a deputy who said he showed graphic images from the scene while at a bar, and another officer who admitted sharing them while playing a video game.
“I had no business doing that, no,” the deputy, Michael Russell, who shared the pictures while playing Call of Duty told the court.
Another officer sent dozens of photos to someone he didn’t know, while a fire official showed the images to people at an awards ceremony cocktail hour
Ms Bryant testified during the case that she suffered panic attacks and anxiety since learning of the shared crash scene photos.
-with agencies
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