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A federal jury has ruled that Los Angeles County must pay Kobe Bryant’s widow $16 million (£13.6 million) for emotional distress caused by emergency services taking and sharing photos of the NBA star’s body.
On January 26, 2020, Bryant was in a youth basketball game with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others when their helicopter crashed into the mountains in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles.
Nine jurors unanimously agreed with Vanessa Bryant and her attorneys that the photos violated her privacy and caused emotional distress. After reading it, she cried quietly.
The jury deliberated for four and a half hours before reaching a verdict on Kobe Bryant Day, which is celebrated in Los Angeles on August 24 because it represented his jersey numbers — 8 and 24 — and It was the day after his birthday. He will turn 44 on Tuesday.
After the verdict, Mrs Bryant posted a photo of herself with her husband and daughter on Instagram.
“Everything for you!” the headline read. “I love you! Justice for Kobe and Gigi!”
A lawyer for the county declined to comment on the verdict outside court.
The photos were mostly shared among Los Angeles County sheriffs and fire department employees, including some who were playing video games and attending awards dinners.
They were also seen by some of their spouses, and in one case by a bartender whose deputy was drinking at the bar.
Mrs Bryant testified tearfully at the 11-day trial that news of the photos added to her still raw grief a month after losing her husband and daughter, and that the thought that they might still be there, she still would. Panicked.
“I live every day in fear of being on social media and these popping up,” she testified. “I’m living in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”
Her co-plaintiff Chris Chester’s wife and daughter were also awarded $15 million (£12.75 million) among the nine people killed in the crash.
“We thank the jury and the judge for giving us a fair trial,” said Mr Chester’s lawyer Jerry Jackson.
Mrs Bryant’s lawyers did not give jurors the amount they thought the client deserved, but Mr Chester’s lawyers gave them recommended guidelines, which would mean tens of millions of dollars for each plaintiff.
Mrs Bryant and her lawyer declined to comment outside court on Wednesday. Tears were still streaming down her face as she walked past TV cameras and dozens of reporters and climbed into an SUV.
Her lawyer, Luis Li, told jurors that the close-up photos had no official or investigative purpose and were just “visual gossip” shared out of creepy curiosity.
County Attorney J Mira Hashmall argued during the trial that the photos were a necessary tool to assess the situation.
She admits that they shouldn’t share it with everyone who sees them. But she stressed that the photos were never seen publicly or even seen by the plaintiffs.
She said it meant that Sheriff Alex Villanueva and other officers acted decisively and effectively when ordering those in possession of the photos to delete them.
Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the crash.
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