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A Los Angeles jury awarded Vanessa Bryant $16 million in damages over leaked pictures from the 2020 helicopter crash involving her husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter, Gianna.
On August 24, the jury announced the verdict, which found that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Fire Department did share graphic photos from the scene of the incident with others, causing emotional distress and invasion of the privacy of the families of the sufferers.
Bryant's co-plaintiff, Chris Chester, has also been awarded $15 million for their combined lawsuit, bringing the total to $31 million.
Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and six other family friends of the star passed away in a tragic helicopter crash in January 2020 in California, Los Angeles. Chester's wife, Sarah, and daughter, Payton, also died in the same accident.
The trial began on August 10, 2022, and has since revealed some painful details of the aftermath of the helicopter crash. Vanessa and Chris sued the aforementioned departments for mental and emotional stress.
In the lawsuit, the duo claimed that the pictures of the deceased were openly shared on 28 gadgets possessed by the Sheriff's Department.
Vanessa Bryant is not a billionaire yet
Born on May 5, 1982, Vanessa is a famed philanthropist. She co-founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation in 2007, intending to help minority college students all over the world with scholarships.
As per Celebrity Net Worth, the current estimated net worth of Vanessa Bryant is $600 million, which was mostly earned by her late basketball star husband, Kobe Bryant.
The duo crossed paths when a 17-year-old Vanessa worked as a background dancer for a music video at a studio where 21-year-old Kobe was working on his debut music album. Soon after, they started dating and got engaged within six months of meeting.
They tied the knot in April 2001 at California's St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church. Together, they have four daughters, late Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, Natalia Diamante Bryant, Capri Kobe Bryant, and Bianka Bella Bryant.
As for her recently won lawsuit, Vanessa Bryant revealed that she had panic attacks when she found out that pictures from Kobe and Gianna's accident had been shared publicly by the officials at the scene.
While appearing on the stand last week, the 40-year-old recalled how she reacted at home when she read the Los Angeles Times report claiming that the county employees had viraled the pictures from the crash site.
"I bolted out of the house and I ran to the side of the house so the girls couldn't see me. I wanted to run… down the block and just scream."
She added that she felt "devastated, hurt and betrayed" after reading the news.
"I don't ever want to see these photographs. I want to remember my husband and my daughter the way they were."
In November 2021, Vanessa Bryant turned down a $2.5 million settlement by the county for emotional distress and decided to sue the county departments for a higher compensation.
The verdict of the two-week emotional trial came on the same day as Mamba Day, which honors the late Lakers icon, whose jersey numbers were #24 and #8.
