On the morning of January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant died in a helicopter crash in LA County. There were seven other people on the helicopter and there were no survivors in the crash. Minutes after the crash, LA County sheriff’s deputies and LA firefighters arrived on the scene. As they began processing the crash site, several of the cops and firefighters took out their cell phones and took photos of the dead bodies. This macabre act was made much worse when those deputies and firefighters shared those photos with friends, family and strangers. There were firefighters showing photos of Kobe Bryant and Gianna’s bodies to people in bars. There were sheriff’s deputies sending photos to their wives and siblings. Vanessa Bryant pursued action against all of these terrible people – she sought their names, she publicized their names and she sued them all. Yesterday, she won.
A jury awarded Vanessa Bryant $16 million on Wednesday in her lawsuit against Los Angeles County over the inappropriate sharing of photos of human remains from the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Kobe Bryant, and her daughter, Gianna, along with seven others.
Chris Chester, whose wife Sarah, 45, and daughter, Payton, 13 were among those killed in the crash and who joined the suit, was awarded $15 million.
Ms. Bryant, who wore a face mask in court, clasped her hands around her head and began to weep as the verdict was read. Mr. Chester looked straight ahead.
Jerry Jackson, Mr. Chester’s lawyer, said he and the plaintiffs were grateful to the jury and Judge John F. Walter, “who gave us a very fair trial.” Ms. Bryant and her lawyers declined to comment after the verdict was read on Wednesday afternoon.
Mira Hashmall, the lead attorney for the county in the case, said in a statement that she and other members of the county’s legal team disagreed with the verdict.
“We will be discussing next steps with our client,” she said. “Meanwhile, we hope the Bryant and Chester families continue to heal from their tragic loss.”
The jury’s decision, which ended a federal civil trial that lasted nearly two weeks, was an uncommonly high-profile rebuke of two colossal and insular agencies — the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department — that wield enormous power in the nation’s second biggest metropolis.
I legitimately have so much admiration for the way Vanessa pursued this and followed through. She was horrified, because what these people did was completely repugnant. There were multiple instances of cops and firefighters showing off photos of the bodies of Vanessa’s husband and daughter. There needs to be accountability and there needs to be significant change within the Sheriff’s Department and LACFD. What was crazy is that neither agency held themselves to account. That’s the whole reason why Vanessa pursued this so vigorously.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
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- Vanessa Laine Bryant and husband/American basketball player Kobe Bryant arrive at the 2019 Baby2Baby Gala held at 3Labs on November 9, 2019 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 540890875, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / Xavier Collin / Avalon
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- (FILE) Kobe Bryant Dies At 41. HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 26: Vanessa Bryant and husband/American basketball player Kobe Bryant arrive at the World Premiere Of Disney’s ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ held at the El Capitan Theatre on February 26, 2018 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 563123494, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Xavier Collin / Avalon
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- Los Angeles, CA – Vanessa Bryant and friend Sydney Leroux leave court after closing arguments on Kobe Bryant’s birthday. Pictured: Vanessa Bryant, Monica BACKGRID USA 23 AUGUST 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Los Angeles, CA – Vanessa Bryant and friend Sydney Leroux leave court after closing arguments on Kobe Bryant’s birthday. Pictured: Vanessa Bryant, Monica BACKGRID USA 23 AUGUST 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Los Angeles, CA – Closing arguments continue for Vanessa Bryant’s invasion of privacy and negligence lawsuit against Los Angeles County. Kobe Bryant’s widow contends first responders caused emotional distress when they shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed the Lakers standout, the couple’s daughter and seven others. Orange County financial adviser Chris Chester’s lawsuit stemming from the loss of his wife and daughter in the crash has been combined with Bryant’s for trial. Pictured: Vanessa Bryant, Natalia Bryant, Sydney Leroux BACKGRID USA 24 AUGUST 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Good for her. If they did this once, they would do it again if not held accountable. I’m sure this was really difficult for her to revisit in court, but I respect that she went through with it for her family and the other families who were betrayed by this grotesque act.
Does anyone know who pays for the award? Since it’s government is it tax payers? Genuinely curious. Glad they won, hope all involved never work again. The lack of empathy is shocking
Most likely the insurer(s) will end up paying for it and 16 or 32 million or whatever it is in total is a tiny amount for these giants.
She should’ve gotten more just because of the lawyers requesting her counseling records. I don’t know if they were handed over, but it was a total intimidation move. There was no legitimate reason to do that, no one thinks a woman who lost her husband and child in a horrific accident isn’t grieving. I hope they rot.
I’d be willing to bet they felt emboldened to do this because they had already normalised it previously.
It’s not even that they “would” do it again…they’ve been doing it for YEARS! They had a “ghoul book” of photos of dead celebrities and others! The culture at this place is out of control, and it is time they were held accountable for the disrespect they have repeatedly shown to people who have passed.
I’m sure this happens in other police departments as well, so hopefully this national case will get people to shut down this kind of behavior. I’ve read about one family whose daughter died in a grisly car accident, and her death photos were widely shared as she was mocked as a poor little rich dead girl. No family should be harassed like that.
Elsewhere there has been a lot of chatter about how she doesn’t need the money, which is entirely beside the point. I only wish the verdict was more punitive for the disgusting and inhumane behavior of the first responders. Just disgusting. Hope she does something great with the money, supports kids or the like.
People have continued to say that as a way to criticize her decision to sue, but we all know money wasn’t her goal. Vanessa found out about Kobe & Gianna’s deaths on a the news, the sheriff’s department didn’t even have the time to reach out to the families before TMZ reported on it.
She actually didn’t specify an amount that she was seeking. She said she would leave it up to the jury to award an amount they considered fair. I am so happy she won. I agree with your description of how these agencies behaved toward the victims of the accident and their families. Throughout this entire legal proceeding these agencies have continued that behavior in trying to dismiss and invalidate Vanessa’s feelings and degrade her. Absolutely disgusting.
Lawsuits shouldn’t always be about whether you “need” the money. That is how the court systems get bogged down with baloney.
What they did was unconscionable. Vanessa shined a light on that, as she should have.
The idea that they are first responders and would DO that? It’s beyond disgusting.
Exactly. I cannot imagine losing my husband and child and dealing with that process and also being terrified that these photos could become public or even be sent to me or my children!
And while she will always have more money than I can dream of… maybe at some point she or her children will need that $16mil. Kobe’s money might not last forever (but I am unsure of his net worth, I’m sure it was really high).
I can’t imagine how awful it must have been for her sitting in that courtroom while they discussed the condition of her daughter and husband over and over. I’d of been crying too if I was her.
Repugnant is a very good word to describe the actions of the local law enforcement and first responders. What would possess someone to not only take those pictures for pleasure, but share them too. Wtf?
I want to think I don’t know anyone like that, but I’m sure I do. It’s like the adage, every single woman knows a woman who was raped or almost raped, yet not a single guy knows a rapist.
She’s handled one of the most horrific things imaginable to happen to a family with dignity and grace. And she honors her lost loved ones every year and in countless ways. Hope she can feel the love and support we have for her and her girls.
I hope she’s aware of it too, That’sNotOkay.
I don’t think my first reply went through. Kobe had a credible allegation of rape against him in 2003. Your comment, while defending the Bryant family, is incredibly insensitive given the allegations against him which were dropped due to his power and influence. I sympathize with his widow and children because my fist child was born the same year as GIgi. Heartbreaking.
One of the most disturbing testimony (for me) from the trial was an officer that claimed there were “death books” where pictures of dead bodies are kept and passed around. Why? For what purpose? How horrifying for those family members. If I was a family member of one of those deceased persons in this book I would be so upset. Good for her for following through and holding them accountable.
When Maradona died, photos of him in his casket were leaked online. Employee’s POSED with his dead body and then shared the photos. Nevermind a country was mourning, his children and siblings had to see his privacy violated one final time. I don’t understand why some people feel the need to disrespect dead bodies.
It’s very disturbing, but I can believe it. Many years ago, when I was taking a driver’s ed course, we were subjected to a presentation from the local coroner. There was no advance warning & he just started a slideshow of photos of local people who had died in car accidents. No attempt to even conceal their identities–they could have been neighbors or family of people in the room. He even used a laser pointer to circle the decapitated head of the person in one photo. So I can well believe that this is a thing in certain departments.
It’s troubling that they called it a “ghoul book”. Monsters.
I suspect *some* of that may be a form of trauma coping. First responders really see bodies in the most horrific state being first on the scene. It’s hard not to be affected by it, and in some ways, I think those books represent how they’ve either become numb to it or are actively numbing themselves to it as a form of mental reconciliation.
It’s not particularly good or ethical, but I can see how that kind of stuff comes about if you’re subjected to the horror of those incidents regularly enough to develop a macabre detachment from the human element.
Everyone involved should be fired and barred from ever working in their respective fields. their actions were inhuman, disgusting and unethical.
They showcased her baby’s body as if she were a spectacle to watch. The money sure means little to her, but I am glad she, and the other victim, held them accountable.
Textbook example of “even if you can doesn’t mean you should”. Put a car or a smartphone in some people’s hands and they lose all sense of dignity and respect.
Good for Bryant.
I still don’t think that is enough for Vanessa and Chris.
I wanted all the families of the victims to clean their clock.
Me too.
The sheriffs department is so deeply corrupt, I sadly doubt anything will change, but at least she hit them where it hurts – in the wallet. This is the same station that lost Mitrice Richardson, and badly handled the sniper at the campground. I also believe there is extensive documentation of gang infiltration of LASD. All that to say, I am really disgusted by the police as an institution and good for Vanessa for naming and shaming and requiring them to take responsibility. It’s probably the first time any of them have ever had to face the consequences of terrible behavior.
Corrupt doesn’t even begin to describe the sheriffs department. I live for the day Sheriff Villanueva gets thrown out on his ass.
The problem is the money for these verdicts against police and sheriffs comes from their jurisdiction’s general fund or insurance company.
If this money were coming from the police/sheriff’s pension fund, we’d see the “thin blue line” collapse pretty quickly.
Misconduct lawsuit verdicts need to hit the entire department in the wallet. There is so much corruption, with people forced to look the other way if they want to keep their job.
I’m happy for her and the others. I’m just shocked that people in that line of work could be so callous as to do that to people who just suffered a great shock and loss of life of a family member. This is why I don’t hold with lionizing people (soldiers, firefighters, much less cops) simply for the titles they hold. It’s their individual actions that matter. But these people who did that are absolute scum, no question about it.
I just wish it didn’t come from the taxpayer’s pocket. There is no real accountability for the LASD. The taxpayers will bail them out every time.
I don’t know whether the award comes at the expenses of the taxpayers or not but the taxpayers need to clean house for their higher-ups for their County and City that you make them pay for it putting them in this position. however, I don’t see any problem with all of the families involved in that that pictures were taken of they all deserve compensation.
it’s a known fact s*** that since since Rodney king, la Legal Services whether it’s lapd, Sheriff’s department, emt, they’ve always had issues unfortunately this is nothing new back then we didn’t have social media. there was no excuse for them to take the pictures and laugh at the dead bodies of someone else’s loved one. a lot of people don’t know unless you follow the case in a Corner’s report especially the picture of her daughter is beyond disturbing. where her daughter’s body was located versus when they took that picture her body was moved and staged for the picture it wasn’t just taken on the crime scene location, and that’s what makes it so much more f****** gross.
and it’s apparent from the way things were she never saw their bodies. yes when you’re usually doing funerals of people you are usually allowed to see but from the information I read it was so bad that’s why they had to use other means to identify especially him. so keep that in mind that you didn’t get that closure to say goodbye and see them because they were in such bad shape there was no way in hell that could be handled by anybody. and I believe that I’m right because she’s so frightened of the pictures getting out that definitely tells me they got sent straight to the funeral home .
with her fear of these pictures getting out that leaves me to more than be more comfortable to believe that I’m right. with that being said no person should ever have to live in the fear that someone is going to be cruel or be an a****** and end up showing them a leaked picture of their deceased sister or father in the manner that they died. they’re already going to need therapy due to how this happened for a very long time but if that happens on top of it it’s going to push all of them over the edge in some way shape or form. and can you imagine the stress as a mother even winning this case behind it that there is that possibility that somebody still has them. and as gross as it is to say I’m a keep it real with all of you whether you agree with me or not money does talk especially those who are interested in the macabre. I do not believe 100% all of these photos are deleted, I believe her fear is real and it is valid and it is beyond reasonable for this to be brought to a court case and a verdict.
that’s a level of stress that no one should have to go to no matter where you rich or poor excetera. because and I hope to God I’m wrong, I really do. because if somebody did keep those pictures and they sell it to the right source and it gets blastered they’re all going to get traumatized all over again even work worse, seeing the condition they were in. and why on God’s green earth someone would think that would be appropriate to show at a ball or Gala, will one person joking about the condition of Kobe’s body saying I got to get ready to eat and I just saw a pile of meat. another a****** thought he’s going to pick up some ass showing them at a bar…wth??????
corruption and a lack of Integrity has long become a known factor with the city of Los Angeles but this takes it to a whole different low. keeping dead body books the fact that that comment was made makes me believe there is a 1% chance somebody has those pictures and I truly hope and pray for her that all her kids reach adulthood before if it ever comes out. and the fact that there’s no remorse from people who took the photos or were involved. the fact that they kept turning around and lying their asses off changing their stories, that shows you know what you did was wrong and hurtful to others. well that’s rough on the taxpayers I think honestly they should have been awarded more. sometimes you got to hit people in a pockets to make them wake up, and realize there can be severe consequences to ugly and gross decisions you make that impact and hurt others. also winning the lawsuit isn’t enough, especially for the people that don’t think they did anything wrong, or have no remorse I believe people should have been suspended and fired due to their gross neglect and disrespect towards the family and decease, showing a lack of self-respect and integrity to do their job. and I’m glad she doxxed all them involved and got their names public, people need to know how they truly are and shame them for being the lowly pieces of s*** that they are, to do this to a grieving family just because the deceased was a celebrity and star and to his daughter.
Ultimately it will come from the taxpayers. The settlement will be paid by the insurance company, rated will be raised and then taxpayers will be on the hook for the increase in premiums.
That’s true, although it does increase a level of scrutiny for those in charge. Think if you were working retail and $300 goes missing from your till. You may be fired, or at least go on probation to make sure future mistakes don’t happen. Now imagine a department that cost the city $16 million. They’re less likely to let things slide that went under the radar before.
Nope. There are departments where there are cops with millions of dollars in misconduct settlements still on the job, with the legal authority to ruin your life in an instant.
The US has always maintained civilian control of its military. Now we need to demand civilian control over our police departments.
Nah, most probably insurers will pay for it and even 50 million would be a tiny amount for these billion-dollar giants. All of these departments and entities that interact with the public have to have public liability insurance of some sort. The issue would only be whether there’s some exclusion clause for this type of stuff but doubt it.
I’m happy for her and Chris. Their families were devastated by the deaths, then to find out others took pictures not for an investigative purpose, but morbid curiosity. To live with the fear that others would see and exploit your families’ grief forever, I don’t blame her for going after them. I remember this story from Canada. A young girl was killed in a horrific accident. People took pictures of her body and they were spread online. Her family has spent years trying to get them removed, and they still pop up. That’s what Vanessa & Chris are worried about.
The families were very brave and this sickening callousness and violation of the dead and abuse of their loved ones needed to be brought to light. Oh my God these people should never be allowed to hold any type of service job again.
@K this exactly. I actually said this above in my comment. that the city departments being sued is not enough, the people getting doxed in the media is not enough they need to be fired and not only that there should be a department-wide retraining on people on ethics accountability and responsibility of when you handle those type of situations for the job everyone needs to be retrained and they’ll departments. there’s nobody that’s not going to make me have an opinion otherwise, because people actually don’t see nothing wrong with their actions, and don’t realize the emotional distress and possible future harm that they’re going to cause those families if those pictures get out. and the part that’s not talked about is if they got pictures of all the bodies which if they have this low of morals I feel for the other families because I have a hard time believing they didn’t get pictures of all the bodies, so the other families who are not involved they should be concerned as well. just by the calluses and the lack of respect I don’t think anyone’s family who is involved in this horrific crash is safe from the possibility of not seeing their loved ones bodies flashed across the internet someday and that’s just sickening disgusting and beyond sad
Don’t they get even the most basic training at that lacfd?
She should have also sued them for telling TMZ about the crash before her. But I’m happy that she and the other families won. Hopefully this won’t happen again.
I hope Ms. Bryant donates that money to some charity that she see fit and appropriate. I agree that the only way the LASD/LAFD will change is through actions like these, but as a taxpayer in LA County, something just doesn’t feel right. A millionaire suing the People of Los Angeles County for more millions that she doesn’t need. Meanwhile, that 16 million could’ve gone toward housing the homeless, shoring up our infrastructure, or any countless issues the County faces. I like that she held our public agencies accountable, but I know she doesn’t need the money and it’s really useless to her, so hopefully something good will come out of this by her donating it to a worthy cause.
As an LA resident, I think it is worth the cost to hold these people accountable for their despicable behavior. Today it is her family that was violated, but tomorrow it might be my family whose tragedy is used for the entertainment of officers. If it has been happening so frequently that they have a “ghoul book” of photos of dead people, then it is long past time for them to stop. I’m glad they’ve had this public reckoning.
welcome to capitalism. money talks.
how about instead of telling Vanessa what to do, LA residents hold these people – whose salaries and retirement funds you pay for – accountable.
fire the ghouls. kick the racists to the curb. THEY caused this. Vanessa has done nothing wrong and I’m sure she’s shelled out a lot for therapy. you’re barking up the wrong tree.
@rezzy
Wow victim blaming at its finest.
The agony she’s endured, how’s she get up in the morning. I know, rhetorical question, she has to get up and take care of her family. There still a chance those photos will pop up somewhere someday. I refuse to count her coins. Let her fkn alone. Let her begin to heal without criticism. Stop worrying about her money.
There is no way to get justice for what those people did to the victims of this accident, but I’m glad she and the other family won their suit.
I’m glad she won ! I do wonder, where is the $16 million going to come from? Police departments are funded by tax payers. So will this be tax payer money? Do the individuals involved have to pay out of their own pocket (unlikely)? What real punishment is this to those officers? Did they lose their jobs?
Insurers, probably through public liability insurance. Premium hikes in store for LACFD though.
What they did was so gross and disrespectful. Glad she pursued this and won
And please be careful using the term rape. This site is quick to condemn those accused but not convicted. Chris Noth is a great example. And as a mother of a victim, Kobe (and others) get no pass. #believeallwomen
I totally agree with her suing; imagine your partner and child dying so horrifically and their bodies being shared and viewed in a p o r no graphic way like this – because that’s what it is, por nogra phy – exploitative, twisted entertainment. Add Kobe’s fame to the mix and the risk of going viral is very real. Nikki Catsouras / the Porsche girl is a case in point. Her family actually receive taunting emails with the photos attached and had to stay off the internet for a while. There are many sick people out there.
Insurance policies will most probably cover the LAFCD for this but premium hikes in store.
I remember there was a thread 1/26/2020, same day Kobe died. A poster named Kristi commented about a role she had that worked with a marketing group that was involved with Kobe’s 1st Nike contract. She gave her view about the charges from 20 years ago. It was very interesting to me.
I don’t care if Vanessa has billions, she had every right to sue all involved with this despicable, heinous act. The “whataboutism” shown because of her wealth is misplaced and disgusting. Whomever tipped off TMZ should have been sued too.
The accident, the way she learned her family was killed and the taking and sharing photos of the deceased is beyond nightmare level!! This should never happen again. I can’t imagine the therapy needed after this nightmare.
I’m glad another family joined her in the suit and also her friends that came to court with her were fantastic.