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Vanessa Bryant will never be able to bring her late husband, Kobe Bryant back, but she can put the case surrounding his and Gianna’s crash photos behind her. It was announced Wednesday, August 24, that a federal jury found that Los Angeles County must pay $31 million in damages to Vanessa and her co-plaintiff Christopher Chester. Christopher lost his wife Sarah and their 13-year-old daughter Payton in the 2020 helicopter crash. Vanessa will be awarded $16 million and Christopher $15 million.
Vanessa shared a photo on Instagram with Kobe and Gianna following the verdict, writing “All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi! #Betonyourself #MambaDay 8•24•22 #MambaMentality,” in the caption.
The federal trial started after it was revealed LA sheriff deputies and firefighters took and shared photos of the remains of Kobe and 13-year-old Gianna. The verdict was reached after 14 days of graphic and heartbreaking testimony, hearing from those in law enforcement, first responders and the family of the victims, with the jury agreeing they invaded their privacy and brought emotional distress. The 9 jurors deliberated for approximately four and a half hours before reaching their decision, per The Washington Post.
Los Angeles County attorney J. Mira Hashmall acknowledged the photos should not have been shared but said the plaintiffs or the public had never seen them, arguing they were a necessary tool for assessing the situation.
Vanessa’s lawyer Luis Li argued that the close-up photos were shared as “visual gossip” and had no official or investigative purpose. Arguing that any deputy without an investigatory reason that saw them should be considered the public.
Li’s closing statements described how deputies had to go out of their way to find Gianna’s body in a Ravine and said the jury’s decision is “important to families throughout the United States who might suffer a tragedy someday.” He also applauded the two whistleblowers, one of which was in the room. “But for those people, we may never have heard of this,” he said.
The news comes as a bit of a coincidence, as Los Angeles has named Wednesday, August 24, “Kobe Bryant Day” to honor the late Lakers star’s two jersey numbers, 8 and 24. Yesterday was also Kobe’s birthday.
There were several witnesses during the trial including a deputy who showed the photos to a bartender, another who shared photos while playing a Call of Duty, and a deputy who sent dozens of photos to someone he didn’t know. There was also a fire official who showed the photos during an awards ceremony cocktail hour, per CNN.
Los Angeles County argued it acted appropriately to investigate and delete the photos, preventing them from spreading but Vanessa’s attorneys argued they could still exist because one of the deputies AirDropped them to an unidentified firefighter.
“I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up,” Vanessa testified during the trial, revealing she has panic attacks thinking about her daughters seeing them. Her co-plaintiff Christopher echoed the same fears, telling the court last Thursday he is “fearful all the time every day” that the photos will leak to the public.