After 3 years, Kobe Bryant's family gets USD 28.9 million settlement in case over crash photos

Kobe Bryant died in 2020 in a fatal helicopter crash in Calabasas mountain with his daughter. While images from the crash sites leaked, his wife Vanessa Bryant had filed a lawsuit, which his family has now won.

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National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant suffered a fatal accident on January 26, 2020, when his helicopter crashed in the mountains of Calabasas, as he and his daughter, Gianna, who were on board during the flight, died instantly. Meanwhile, the images of the crash site were also leaked, unnerving his wife, Vanessa Bryant.

Later, Vanessa filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County and its sheriff's and fire department for leaking disturbing images. After months of trial in the federal court, she had initially won $15 million in the lawsuit. However, the suit did not end there, as in the following case, she was paid $28.85 million on Tuesday, as per USA Today, with Bryant's children being added as plaintiffs, thus finalising the deal.

The settlement is yet to be approved by the court. At the same time, Vanessa's attorney Luis Li issued a statement which read, "Today marks the culmination of Mrs Bryant's courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged 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."

Meanwhile, after winning the initial lawsuit, Vanessa vowed to contribute the coffers to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. However, it is unclear if the final settlement money will witness a similar fate. Also, Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were among the dead in the crash, won $15 million in a similar case, settling the claims for about $20 million last year.