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Vanessa Bryant gets $29M settlement in lawsuit against LA County over Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna's graphic crash photos

Vanessa Bryant argued that she lived 'in fear' that the graphic photos of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant would resurface

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles County has finally reached a $28 million settlement with Vanessa Bryant, wife of Kobe Bryant, for capturing and sharing graphic images after the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gianna in 2020. 

The settlement comes after a federal court declared in August 2022 that Los Angeles County Sheriff's and firefighters were liable for violating the constitutional rights of Bryant and her co-plaintiff, Christopher Chester, for taking and distributing gruesome photos of the helicopter crash. The images of the incident included not only images of the crash, but also photos of the victims' disfigured bodies. Vanessa and Chester claimed that the disclosure of these pictures caused her mental anguish and violated family's privacy.

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What is the response from LA County? 

"We believe the settlement approved by the Board in the Bryant case is fair and reasonable. The $28,850,000 settlement includes the verdict awarded by the federal jury in August 2022, and further resolves all outstanding issues related to pending legal claims in state court, future claims by the Bryant children, and other costs, with each party responsible for its respective attorneys' fees. This settlement now concludes all County-related litigation related to the tragic January 2020 helicopter crash. We hope Ms Bryant and her children continue to heal from their loss," said Mira Hashmall, lead counsel for LA County, in an official statement. Meanwhile, Bianka Bella Bryant, and Capri Kobe Bryant, the youngest daughters of the Bryant family were also named along with their mother in the suit. 

What is the response from Vanessa Bryant's lawyer? 

An attorney for Vanessa Bryant said, "Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs Bryant's courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in gross misconduct. She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all of those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice."

'Good For Her'

The Internet quickly reacted to the new update. A user said, " Good for her, it just sucks that it comes from the taxpayers and not the LAPD officers." Another added, " Even though she doesn’t need the money, good for her." "She deserved wayyyy more! I’m glad all of the families got something though! They should be ashamed of themselves. And they all should’ve been fired," claimed another. "Who pays? The citizens who had nothing to do with this or the officers union.," wrote a user. Another asked, "Wait she sued the county? So that’s tax payers money?." "Let the cops Union pay for it and not the taxpayers," stated another. "Taxes going up again.," noted another."Good for her. VB is so strong and beautiful. Kobe chose right with her. RIPMamba," read a tweet. "Good for them. That was her husband and her child. She has the right to fight for them. Shameful people don't understand privacy especially, a horrible tragedy. The family has the right to that," tweeted a user. "I hope she sues everyone invloved in this nightmare. It's not about money. It's about accountability,"added another. 

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