Vanessa Bryant Reaches Settlement With LA County Over Misuse Of Crash Photos

A settlement of Vanessa's lawsuit against LA County has finally been reached and announced on Tuesday. The former model was awarded $15 million by a jury for her federal claims in August.

However, the settlement on Tuesday included the federal claims and state claims of invasion of privacy. As Dailymail reports, to finalize the settlement, Vanessa added her two youngest daughters, Bianka and Capri. The total of the settlement was announced to be $28,850,000. 

Vanessa's attorney, Luis Li, previously said what the proceeds from the lawsuit would be used for. Li said Vanessa would donate it to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which is a foundation that honors her late husband and daughter.

In August, Chris Chester also joined in the suit because the crash killed his wife and 13-year-old daughter, Payton. He was awarded $15 million and an additional $5 million to resolve future claims. In October 2021, two other families also settled with the county over the crash photos for $1.25 million each. 

Vanessa's lawsuit followed a few months after a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, claimed the lives of her husband and daughter. Retired basketball player Kobe, 41, was with his daughter, Gianna, 13.

Kobe was on his way to coach Gianna's basketball team in California. However, their helicopter crashed into a hill near Calabasas due to foggy conditions. The crash resulted in the death of Kobe, Gianna, and seven other people. Further investigation into the unfortunate incident showed that Aro Zobayan, the pilot in charge had lost control before things went out of hand.

At the time of the crash, the LA County Sheriff asked if he could do anything for Vanessa. The only thing she requested was that no photos should be taken. However, in September 2020, Vanessa filed a lawsuit against eight LA deputies.

They were sued for invasion of privacy, negligence, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. In her filing, the philanthropist alleged that the LA deputies took photos of the crash on their phones.

She continued that the photos were taken for personal use and shared with others. Vanessa also claimed that she learned of the photos from the LA Times news report. 

Following Vanessa's lawsuit against LA County, an opening trial was held in August 2022. During the trial, county lawyer, Mira Hashmall, argued that the rights of Bryant's family were not violated. She added that the photos were not spread publicly.

Hashmall argued in her statement that Deputy Cruz was new to his job. She added that he only showed a bartender in a moment of weakness, which he regretted. Hashmall continued at that time that even the plaintiffs did not see the photos. She ended her statement that it only showed the diligence of the department leaders. 

During the trial on August 11, 2022, Vanessa became emotional as a witness spoke about the photos. The bartender, Victor Guiterrez, claimed that Cruz showed them the gruesome photos from the crash. Vanessa became very emotional at that time and excused herself from the courtroom.

During the initial day of the trial, Vanessa was also seen crying during her lawyer's opening remarks. Also during Vanessa's speech at that time, she said that she struggled with anxiety and depression after learning of the photos. 

Before all the emotional drama came up in August 2022, Vanessa did a cover story for March 2021's Women Changing the World issue. At that time Vanessa told People that she could not say she was surviving every day. However, she worked to rebuild a life for her children, Capri, Bianka, and Natalia.

Vanessa told People that the pain was imaginable. However, she pushed forward every day to make a better life for her daughters. The mom-of-four refused to be downcast as she took up serval projects.

These included helming the affairs of her late husband's multi-media franchise, Granity Studios. She also relaunched Kobe's non-profit organization as Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. The name was a node to the late star and their young daughter, who was building her basketball career.

Vanessa was moving forward despite the heartbreaking loss of her husband and daughter, saying her motivation was from Kobe and Gianna. For her, it's about finding the light in the darkness.

Vanessa has also talked about her girls giving her strength and helping her smile during the pain. All she wants is to make her family proud, as they keep the memories of their loved ones close. 

In the years since their tragic passing Vanessa has taken it upon herself to see that her late spouse and daughter's legacies endured. She often shares tributes to them on social media while drawing strength from celebrity spouses like Ciara and her hubby, Russell Wilson, as well as Lala Anthony and her man, Carmelo Anthony.