Kobe Bryant’s widow was just awarded $16 million in damages by a California court. Vanessa Bryant, wife of the NBA superstar who was killed in a helicopter crash received the award as damages for leaked photos taken by first responders at the crash scene.
Nine jurors returned with a unanimous verdict and agreed with Vanessa’s attorneys that deputies and firefighters taking and sharing photos of the bodies of both Kobe and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, invaded her privacy and brought her emotional distress.
Vanessa Bryant had a co-plaintiff, Chris Chester, who also sued Los Angeles County for unspecified millions of dollars over the graphic photographs.
Chester’s wife, Sarah, and daughter, Payton, 13, were among nine people killed when their helicopter crashed north of Los Angeles.
The jury awarded Chester $15 million in damages.
Lawyers for both plaintiffs argued that their clients suffered undue emotional stress after they learned that county employees took a cellphone picture of the human remains of their loved ones. They considered them to be “souvenirs” and they shared them with colleagues and members of the public.
Closing arguments for the case began on what would have been Kobe’s 44th birthday.
Vanessa came to the courtroom holding the hand of her eldest daughter, Natalia, and close friend, Sydney Leroux, an Olympic gold medalist and Gianna’s favorite soccer player. She was also accompanied by Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka and his wife.
Bryant herself testified for more than three hours with tears. She described the anguish and anger she felt and the fear that one day her children might see the photos.
“I felt like I wanted to run down the block and scream,” she told the court, her body shaking with emotion. “I can’t escape my body. I can’t escape what I feel.”
No photos have emerged publicly, but Vanessa Bryant said she lives in fear of seeing them one day.
