Vanessa Bryant, the widow of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, has been awarded $16 million in a lawsuit over leaked photos from the tragic helicopter crash that killed her husband and daughter, Gianna, in January 2020. The photos, taken by first responders, included graphic images from the crash site and were shared without authorization, causing immense emotional distress.
After an 11-day trial, a federal jury on August 24 ruled that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Fire Department must pay a total of $31 million in damages to both Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester. Chester lost his wife and daughter in the same crash. Vanessa received $16 million, while Chester was awarded $15 million.
According to The Guardian, the nine-member jury unanimously agreed that deputies and firefighters had violated the families’ privacy rights by taking and sharing the photos, even though they were not publicly released. The images were circulated among colleagues within the sheriff’s and fire departments, and in some cases, shown to others, including a bartender and the spouses of first responders.
During the emotional trial, Vanessa Bryant frequently broke down in tears. She testified that she first learned about the existence of the photos through a Los Angeles Times article published in February 2020, a month after the crash. She described the ongoing fear and trauma caused by the possibility of the graphic images surfacing online, adding to the grief of losing her husband and daughter.
The jury’s decision came on a symbolic date—August 24, known as “Kobe Bryant Day” in Los Angeles, which honors the basketball legend by combining the two jersey numbers he wore during his career (8 and 24). The day after August 23, Kobe’s birthday, was chosen to commemorate his life and legacy. On her Instagram page, Vanessa shared a tribute featuring photos of Kobe and Gianna with the caption: “All for you, Daddy and Gigi. I love you both. Justice for Kobe and Gigi.”
Kobe Bryant, born in 1978, was a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. On January 26, 2020, Kobe, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people who died when their helicopter crashed and caught fire on a hillside in Calabasas, California. Vanessa and Kobe have three other daughters together.
