Shortly after the tragic helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with seven others, graphic photos of the crash began to circulate among L.A. County sheriffs and firefighters from the scene.
Those photos became the focus of a lawsuit brought by Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, who lost his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Payton, in the crash, alleging emotional distress caused by the photos. On Wednesday night, a jury issued its verdict in the lawsuit, awarding Bryant $16 million and Chester $15 million for invasion of privacy and emotional distress, bringing an end to the two-year long case.
“We’re not here because of an accident,” Bryant’s attorney Craig Lavoie told jurors during his closing arguments Tuesday, on what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday, via the LA Times. “We’re here because of intentional conduct. Intentional conduct by those who were charged with protecting the dignity of Sarah and Payton, and Kobe and Gianna.”
Bryant’s testimony noted that her lasting fear is the photos getting out in public as the LA County investigation into the pictures was inconclusive regarding whether they still exist, as most of the officers and firefighters on the scene have gotten new phones and no longer have them on their devices, but they couldn’t be certain they weren’t still out there somewhere.
“I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up,” she testified, via the AP. “I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”
The verdict comes down a day after what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday, and hopefully brings at least a bit of closure for both Bryant and Chester as they can move forward from the legal battle stemming from that tragic day.
