Bryant and Chester Families Awarded $31 For Emotional Damages

Summary

• Vanessa Bryant and Christopher Chester awarded combined $31M by Federal Jury
• They filed a lawsuit for $75 million in emotional damages over leaked pictures
• Vanessa Bryant says she has received justice for Kobe and daughter Gigi

Vanessa Bryant, widow of NBA great Kobe Bryant who died in an helicopter accident on Jan 26, 2020 filed a lawsuit along with co-plaintiff Christopher Chester who lost his wife and daughter in the same accident.

The lawsuit was filed against the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Fire Departments for $75 million in emotional damages based on the fact that personnel from these departments who were at the scene of the crash, took photos and shared them with their friends and families causing the Bryant and Chester family to go through a lot of emotional distress.

Federal Jury Awards Total Of $31 Million

The National Transportation Safety Board carried out an investigation into the helicopter crash and concluded that the pilot breached flying rules in bad weather and ended up crashing into a hillside in Calabasas, California.

Members from the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Fire Departments who arrived at the scene ended up taking pictures of the crash but also pictures of the dead bodies which included Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi Bryant and Sarah Chester and daughter Payton Chester as well as 5 others.

The case against the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Fire Departments pointed out that there were no proper protocols or training in place to prevent them from taking pictures of the deceased and sharing them with their friends or on social media, causing members of the grieving family to be emotionally traumatized of seeing these images in public.

During the trial which lasted 11 days, members from the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Fire Departments admitted to sharing pictures with family and friends.

The Federal Jury ruled in favour of the Bryant and Chester family and awarded them a total of $31 million, with $16 million going to the Bryant family and $15 million to the Chester family.

Vanessa Bryant Says She Got Justice In The End

Vanessa Bryant was very emotional when the jury announced their decision and immediately embraced her daughter Natalia who was present during the trial. She would later post on Instagram and claim that she finally got justice for Kobe and Gigi!