She demands compensation |
Kobe Bryant’s widow is suing LA
The terrible accident happened two and a half years ago. On January 26, 2020, basketball legend Kobe Bryant († 41), his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other occupants died when their helicopter crashed near Los Angeles.
According to the investigation, the pilot of the helicopter apparently lost his bearings after falling into thick clouds.
Now a trial by Bryant’s wife Vanessa (40) has begun because of photos taken by rescue workers at the crash site. At the trial in Los Angeles, ten jurors were initially selected on Wednesday, six women and four men. This was reported by CNN.
Why is?
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, is seeking unspecified damages in her civil lawsuit. The reason: she experienced emotional suffering because police officers and firefighters took photos of the crash site and later shared them with friends and other rescue workers.
background: According to Bryant’s lawyers, at least 11 police officers and a dozen firefighters shared the photos in the 24 hours after the Jan. 26, 2020 accident.
Later, an employee of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office “showed off” the pictures at a bar, another sent photos to a group of video game friends, and a firefighter showed photos at an awards show.
Los Angeles County is not denying that the photos were taken. Lawyers argue, however, that the pictures were never made public and have since been deleted.
Attorney Mira Hashmall states, “Two and a half years later, no photos of the county have surfaced in the media, none can be found online, and plaintiffs admit they never saw them.”
March 2018: Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa attend the Academy Awards in Los Angeles
The widow’s lawsuit was consolidated with that of another victim’s relative. In a separate lawsuit, other plaintiffs were awarded a total of $2.5 million ($2.45 million today) in compensation for the photos last year.
Kobe Bryant is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game basketballs. In his 20-year career, he won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and won gold medals with the US team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The mega star ended his career in 2016.
