WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 13: Vanessa Bryant attends the Baby2Baby 10-Year Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at the Pacific Design Center on November 13, 2021 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
Vanessa Bryant has won.
The emotional trial, which began on Aug. 10, revealed gut-wrenching details about the pain experienced by the families of those killed in the January 2020 helicopter crash. Bryant and her co-plaintiff, Chris Chester, have been a combined awarded $21 million by a Los Angeles jury.
#BREAKING: Vanessa Bryant has won her lawsuit against L.A. County after a jury decided deputies caused the Bryant family emotional distress when they took and shared gruesome photos from the Kobe crash site. https://t.co/1mG8yH742S
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) August 24, 2022
The final verdict was reached Wednesday, with the jury finding Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Fire Department did share photos of the bodies of Bryant and Chester’s loved ones.
VERDICT has been reached in Kobe Bryant crash scene photos case. Vanessa Bryant was awarded $16 million in damages by jurors, according to reporter Nancy Dillon. pic.twitter.com/G0y0xacohO
— theJasmineBRAND (@thejasminebrand) August 24, 2022
Vanessa and Chris Chester, who tragically lost his wife Sarah and their 13-year-old daughter Payton in the crash, sued Los Angeles County for emotional distress and mental anguish after learning members of the department had shared photos of the victims’ remains.
Before the crash, Kobe and Gianna were traveling to a youth basketball game with seven others. Heavy fog in the area contributed to the pilot slamming into a hillside.
Former bartender Victor Gutierrez was one of the first witnesses to testify and claimed he was approached by sheriff’s deputy trainee Joey Cruz during his bartending shift, who asked if Gutierrez wanted to see a photo of the victim’s bodies. The jury also heard from someone else who said they witnessed the interaction and then filed a formal complaint with the sheriff’s department.
Kobe’s body was recovered on the day of the crash, while Gianna was found a day later in a ravine.
