A Federal Jury Finds That Los Angeles County Must Pay Kobe Bryant's Wife $16 Million

A federal jury has found that Los Angeles County must pay the widow of NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant $16 million. The case stems from the helicopter crash site where Bryant was killed in 2020. In the trial, nine jurors sided with Vanessa Bryant. They said that deputies and firefighters took photos of her husband's and daughter Gianna's remains. The photos invaded her privacy and caused her emotional distress.

Los Angeles County must pay Kobe Bryant's widow $16 million

The judge's ruling was made on Kobe Bryant's birthday, Kobe Day. A jury deliberated for four and a half hours. Ms. Bryant's lawyer argued that the photos taken on the crash site were "visual gossip" - but law enforcement needs such images to investigate the crime scene. However, the jury found in favor of Ms. Bryant, who filed the lawsuit with her husband Christopher Chester, that the photos were taken at the scene of the crash.

Vanessa Bryant cried throughout the trial and had tears in her eyes during a break. The judge also said that the photos of her husband and son were a violation of her privacy. She also argued that she abused her son's privacy by taking their pictures. She was able to do so after the officers had taken pictures of the crash scene and shared them with other employees. Even the bartender at the bar where the deputy was drinking and playing video games were circulating the photos. She testified that the images brought further emotional distress to the grieving family.

Photos of human remains were taken without proper training

The county attorney argued that it had no policies or procedures for taking photos of human remains. In closing arguments, he argued that no pictures were taken because no pictures would be distributed publicly. However, Bryant's attorney argued that the actions of the county were reckless. Photos of human remains were taken without proper training or supervision and posed a risk of harm. This case was not the first of its kind.

The case was a civil suit that Bryant and Chester brought in May of last year. The couple claimed the first respondent violated their constitutional right to privacy and sought damages for their grief. The attorney for Bryant said that the couple was seeking to expose the agencies that violated their rights. The jury was tasked with determining if the photos were taken despite inadequate training and whether it was standard agency practice.

Los Angeles County lacked proper policies and training

Record COVID-19 transmission rates have fueled concern about the health of the public, and the County has yet to take adequate measures to combat the virus. A major concern is the lack of enforcement of public health orders, especially in the workplace. The dwindling economic recovery in Los Angeles County, as well as a lack of adequate investigative resources and training, have made public health and workplace safety a serious concern.

In the trial, the attorneys for the Los Angeles County sought to separate Vanessa Bryant's emotional testimony from the legal issues involved. The county argued that it was not at fault because first responders did not violate Bryant's rights to privacy, and that their actions prevented the photos from being released publicly. Moreover, the prosecution argued that the county's actions did not violate Bryant's rights because the pictures were only published after being reviewed by the court. However, in the law, a verdict against a county can only be obtained when the policies involved are deficient or if there is a longstanding custom of such behavior.

Vanessa Bryant's lawyers gave jurors a dollar amount they thought her client deserved

On Tuesday, Vanessa Bryant's lawyers gave juror's a dollar amount they thought her client deserves. It was not clear how much the jury would award her. She cried throughout her lawyer's presentation. She was still wiping tears from her eyes during a court break. "It was an emotional day for me," she said. The jury had heard her story and had made several decisions about her case, including the settlement amount.

County Attorney Mira Hashmall opened the trial with a statement saying deputy Joey Cruz was only a rookie when the crash happened. Cruz has since retracted the post and said he regrets sharing the photo with a bartender. However, she said, the county did not violate the Bryant family's right to privacy, and the crash-site photographs were never released publicly.