In the Kobe Bryant crash photographs trial, Vanessa Bryant’s jury award was reduced by $1 million when a juror discovered a “clerical error” on the judgment form, despite the fact that jurors agreed she and another plaintiff would be “given equally.”
Vanessa Bryant, age 40, was awarded an extra $1 million in her case victory.
A juror noticed the ‘clerical error’ and informed the court that Bryant was originally awarded $16 million for invasion of privacy after photographs of her husband’s and daughter’s bodies were taken and displayed to others.
In January 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna perished in a helicopter crash along with seven other people.
Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter also perished in the collision, fear that these images will one day surface on the internet.
In actions that have been consolidated, the couple sued for emotional damages due to the photos: $15 million was awarded to Chester
In its defense, Los Angeles County asserts that the images have never been made public and that officials have worked diligently to remove them from devices.
Bryant still intends to contribute the funds to the Mamba & Mambacita Foundation.
After a juror spotted an error on the verdict form, Vanessa Bryant’s multimillion-dollar payment in her civil trial win against Los Angeles County has been lowered by $1 million.
Bryant, 40, was awarded $16 million in her case last week after a jury unanimously determined that deputies and firefighters caused her emotional distress by sharing gruesome photos of her husband, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, and their daughter Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020 along with seven others.
Chris Chester, whose wife Sarah and daughter Payton were killed in the Calabasas, California collision, was awarded $15 million by the same jury, bringing the total damages to $31 million.
USA Today said that an observant juror detected an error on the judgment form and subsequently contacted the court with a letter saying that Bryant should have been awarded $1.5 million, not $2.5 million, for mental anguish.
Additionally, Bryant was granted $13.5 million in other damages for emotional anguish; therefore, the decrease from $2.5 million to $1.5 million would result in each plaintiff receiving $15 million.
Judge John Walter told USA Today that the nine jurors intended for both plaintiffs Vanessa Bryant and Christopher Chester to receive equal compensation.
It is now scheduled to be reduced to $15 million, a modification to which Ms. Bryant has consented. Her attorney, Luis Li, describes the reduction as ‘fair.’
The jury determined that the sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who went to the scene of the chopper crash in January 2020 improperly photographed the carnage, including the mutilated corpses of the Lakers star and his daughter Gianna.
Wednesday, 40-year-old Vanessa Bryant left court after a jury ruled Los Angeles County liable for damages following the deaths of her husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter. Due to a clerical error, her initial award of $16 million is being reduced by $1 million.
Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, whose wives and daughters perished in the collision, claimed for emotional damages in relation to the photographs and were awarded $15 million apiece.
The court informed USA Today that calling the jury back was unnecessary due to Bryant’s decision to take $1 million less.
According to Bryant’s attorney, she still intends to contribute the $15 million she received from LA County to a foundation that her late husband Kobe Bryant cherished.
Li told USA Today, “Throughout this investigation, Mrs. Bryant has just sought accountability.” She has never requested a precise cash figure and has always relied on the jury to administer justice.
All of the funds will be donated to the Mamba & Mambacita Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of marginalized athletes and boys and girls involved in sports.
Bryant stated that she wished to use the funds to’shine a light on Kobe and Gigi’s legacy.
On Wednesday, when the verdict was announced, Bryant cried. She was consoled by her daughter Natalia, whose 13-year-old sister Gianna also perished in the helicopter crash that killed the 41-year-old great basketball player.
Vanessa Bryant will contribute the $15 million she won from the County of Los Angeles to a foundation that her late husband Kobe Bryant cherished. Wednesday’s verdict is shown by an Instagram picture from Vanessa.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna perished in a helicopter crash in Calabasas in January 2020.
Chris Chester, who lost his wife Sarah, 45, and daughter Payton, 13, in the helicopter disaster that claimed the lives of nine others, was granted $15 million.
Her co-defendant Chester, who lost his wife Sarah, 45, and daughter Payton, 13, in the nine-person helicopter disaster, was granted $15 million.
The jury determined that sheriff’s officials and firefighters who hurried to the crash site in January 2020 unlawfully photographed the devastation, which included the mutilated corpses of the Los Angeles Lakers icon and his daughter.
In a slight triumph for the firefighters, the jury determined that they do not have a tradition or practice of exchanging images of deceased individuals. However, the verdict did find that the fire department lacked adequate training and policies.
The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged athletes and boys and girls in sport.
They did decide, however, that the sheriff’s office has a policy of sharing accident photos, as well as inadequate training.
Last Monday, her attorney, Luis Li, issued a statement:
“From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has merely sought accountability, but our legal system does not allow her to compel improved policy, further training, or officer discipline.”
‘These precautions are the responsibility of the sheriff and fire departments — obligations that Mrs. Bryant’s efforts have revealed to be grossly inadequate, even granting amnesty to wrongdoers. Mrs. Bryant was courageous and never flinched when the county attempted to force her to submit to a psychiatric test against her will. Ralph Mendez and Luella Weireter, the good Samaritans who exposed the decades-old practice of taking and sharing images of accident and crime victims for no valid purpose, have her profound gratitude.
Calabasas firefighters work at the crash site where former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna died.
After the incident, investigators are seen investigating the helicopter’s wreckage.
Vanessa, dressed in white on Wednesday, expressed concern to the Los Angeles jury during the two-week trial that photographs of the collision scene may be made public.
The Los Angeles civil trial heard that some of these first responders, including a bartender, showed the images to members of the public, while one deputy texted them to a friend while the duo played video games.
Los Angeles County stated in its defense that the images have never been made public and that officials have worked diligently to remove them from devices.
In her closing remarks, Mira Hashmall, an attorney for the county, stated, “To claim privacy and then make all these facts public defies logic.”
This is a case involving images, but there are no photographs.
During the two-week trial, however, it was revealed that Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter also perished in the disaster, fear that these images will one day surface on the internet.
Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, his wife Vanessa, and his daughter Natalia Diamante Bryant are shown in 2017 prior to an NCAA college women’s basketball game.
Vanessa Bryant and Kobe are pictured celebrating Sean Combs’ 50th birthday in Los Angeles in December 2019.
Bryant was a five-time NBA champion during a career that spanned from his high school graduation in 1996 through his retirement in 2016.
An examination into the disaster revealed that the pilot of the Sikorsky S-76 had likely became disoriented after flying through fog.
Bryant is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time; throughout his two decades with the Lakers, he became the face of his sport.
He was a five-time NBA champion during a career that spanned from his high school graduation in 1996 to his retirement in 2016.