'Justice for Kobe and Gigi': Vanessa Bryant donates $16M to Mamba and Mambacita Foundation
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Vanessa Bryant is set to donate $16 million in compensation she won from LA County to a foundation that Kobe Bryant particularly adored. After deliberating that her late husband's dead body was unlawfully photographed by officials, the jury awarded Vanessa $16 million in compensation. The entire amount will be donated to Mamba & Mambacita Foundation, a nonprofit organization that seeks to create a positive impact for underserved athletes and boys and girls in sport.
Vanessa said she wanted the money to "shine a light on Kobe and Gigi's legacy", the Daily Mail reported. She broke down in tears as the verdict was announced on Wednesday, August 24, and was comforted by her daughter Natalia. Vanessa's co-defendant Chris Chester was awarded $15 million. Chester lost his wife Sarah, 45, and daughter, Payton, 13, in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and his daughter Gianna.
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The jury found that sheriff's deputies and firefighters who arrived at the scene of the 2020 crash unlawfully clicked pictures of the mangled remains of Kobe, as well as the entire carnage. The jury also found that the firefighters do not have a custom or practice of sharing photos of deceased people, but the only fact is the fire department lacks sufficient training and policies. This was a minor victory for the firefighters. However, the jury also found that the sheriff's department has a practice of sharing pictures from accidents.
In a statement, Vanessa's attorney, Luis Li, said, "From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability, but our legal system does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline. Those measures are the responsibility of the sheriff's and fire departments -- responsibilities that Mrs. Bryant's efforts have exposed as woefully deficient, even giving amnesty to the wrongdoers. Mrs. Bryant was courageous and never faltered, even when the County attempted to force her to submit to an involuntary psychiatric examination. She is deeply grateful to Ralph Mendez and Luella Weireter, the good Samaritans who brought to light the decades old practice of taking and sharing photos of accident and crime victims for no legitimate purpose."
Lawyers said Vanessa was entitled to a sum less than $40 million, but more than what was received by relatives of other victims. The relatives were granted $2.5 million in compensation for the photo-taking. Bryant and Chester, who did not wish to join the case, launched their own and it eventually resulted in the $31 million payout.
The sheriff's department was ordered to pay Vanessa $2.5 million for the emotional distress she has suffered already. She will also be given $7.5 million for future suffering. Further, the fire department has been ordered to pay her $1 million for past and $5 million for future suffering.
Chester was given $1.5 million from the sheriff's office for the distress he suffered in the past, and $7.5 million for future suffering. For emotional distress caused by the fire department, he was given $1 million for past suffering and $5 million for future.