A jury has ordered Los Angeles County to pay $31 million in damages, including $16 to widow Vanessa Bryant, over photos taken by rescue workers at the site of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant.
Officers from the sheriff’s office and firefighters dispatched to the scene of the accident had taken photos of the remains of the body of the legendary basketball player and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who also died in the tragedy. The civil trial in Los Angeles exposed how some first responders showed those photos to people outside the case.
Vanessa Bryant, widow of the basketball superstar, recounted her constant fear that the images would be revealed to the general public. The county was ordered to pay $16 million to Vanessa Bryant, who posted a photo of Kobe Bryant and their deceased daughter, writing: “All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi!“.
An investigation concluded that the helicopter pilot was responsible for the accident, a “error in judgment“having brought about its”disorientation” in the middle of a thick fog. The death at 41 of Kobe Bryant, emblematic player of the Los Angeles Lakers and considered one of the best basketball players in history, had caused great emotion around the world.
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