Vanessa Bryant wins for Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant. Image Source: People
Vanessa Bryant wins for Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant.
The verdict for Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, and co-plaintiff Chris Chester, who had sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles Fire Department, stating that the authorities shared the pictures of the bodies of the ones involved in the helicopter accident in 2020, has been announced.
After less than four hours of deliberation, the jury awarded Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester $10 million and $9 million, respectively, from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and $6 million each from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
In the same helicopter tragedy that claimed the lives of Vanessa Bryant's husband and legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant, and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna, Chris Chester lost his wife Sarah and their daughter Payton. Both Vanessa and Chris stated that they were afraid and became apprehensive that the images would appear on social media or the Internet. The pair had sued the departments for the emotional anguish related to the pictures that the police not only captured but also shared.
After the verdict was announced, Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester left the courthouse without making a statement, but Vanessa Bryant took to her social media to share the news and wrote with a picture of herself with Kobe and Gianna that it was everyone's love and support and mentioned that justice had been served for Kobe and Gigi. Unexpectedly, the lawsuit's judgment was announced on Kobe Bryant Day, also known as Mamba Day, a holiday celebrating the late Los Angeles Lakers great, whose jersey numbers were #8 and #24.
The Bryant family. Image Source: Teen Vogue
Mira Hashmall, a partner at Miller Barondess, told reporters outside the courthouse that although everyone appreciated the jury's hard work in the case, the prosecutors disagreed with the 10-member jury's findings regarding the county's liability and added that they believe the monetary award showed that the jury did not believe the evidence supported the plaintiff's demand of $75 million for emotional distress. The next measures will be discussed with their clients, and in the meanwhile, Mira hoped that Vanessa Bryant and Chis Chester, as well as their families, would continue to recover from the devastating loss.
Victor Gutierrez, a former bartender, was one of the first witnesses called throughout the trial's weeks-long duration. He said in court on Thursday that during his shift as a bartender, Joey Cruz, a trainee sheriff's deputy, contacted him immediately after the Jan. 26, 2020 accident and asked if he would want to see a picture of the victims' bodies. Ralph Mendez Jr., a patron of the bar had claimed to have witnessed an exchange and stated during his testimony that he formally complained to the sheriff's office.
The 40-year-old widow and a grieving mother also testified throughout the trial that she had gone to the Lost Hills Sheriff Station the morning of the collision to request that Sheriff Alex Villanueva shield the Calabasas crash scene from the media. She said that she recalls visiting the accident scene and asking the Sheriff to safeguard the location from the media At the station, Vanessa recalled Sheriff Villanueva assuring her that he had taken care of it. The first responders were accused of distributing photos just three days later, according to a February 27, 2020, Los Angeles Times report.
During her testimony, the bereaved mother stated that she trusted them not to do these things and said that she was upset with the sheriff's office and the fire department for not alerting her about the sharing of the photos. Vanessa Bryant said to the jury that she wanted to remember her husband and daughter the way they were and not by the pictures from the accident that circulated online. She mentioned that she has dealt with depression, anxiety, and panic attacks just by thinking that she is online and those pictures will come in front of her. Vanessa Bryant has three daughters to take care and she wants to heal and be the best mother to their daughters.
Vanessa Bryant is planning on donating the amount to Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. Image Source: LA Times
During Chris Chester's testimony, the grieving father said to the jury that when texts to Payton and Sarah remained unanswered, he found out about the collision while driving to the Lost Hills sheriff's office. He was thinking a lot of things, but he believed that he was heading to a hospital, he recalled, anticipating seeing Payton and Sarah hurt but still alive. However, he noted that the station was uncomfortably silent, and he had begun to get an eerie sense.
Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester bring to light the decades-old practice of capturing and disseminating images of accident and crime victims for no legal purpose said attorney Luis Li said in a statement to The Times.
According to recent reports, Vanessa Bryant plans to donate the amount to Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation and let the legacy of Kobe Bryant and Gigi shine through. According to its website, the foundation, which Kobe Bryant founded as the Mamba Sports Foundation after quitting basketball in 2016 as a homage to his alias, The Black Mamba, offers funding and sports programs for young athletes in impoverished regions. After the 41-year-old NBA great and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, perished in a helicopter crash, the organization was later given a new name in 2020, according to the source.
