Kobe Bryant's widow awarded $16m in trial over crash photos

Co-plaintiff who lost wife and daughter awarded $15m in jury decision

Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna at the WNBA All Star Game in July 2019, six months before they died in a helicopter crash in California. USA Today Sports

Bryant celebrates with Gianna after the Lakers' 99-86 defeat of Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the NBA finals in Orlando. Orlando Sentinel / AP

A mural of Bryant and Gianna by artist Mr Brainwash in Los Angeles. Getty

Bryant sinks a shot in the closing seconds against Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 NBA Finals, in Los Angeles. AP

Bryant, holding the championship trophy, celebrates with teammates Rick Fox, Lindsey Hunter and Shaquille O'Neal in 2002. AP

Bryant and Glen Keane accept the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for 'Dear Basketball'. Reuters

O'Neal and Bryant in 2004. Getty

Bryant walks towards the tunnel after scoring 60 points against Utah Jazz at Staples Centre in Los Angeles. AFP

A man touches a statue in memory of Bryant and Gianna in Calabasas, California, where their helicopter crashed. AP

Flowers next to a mural of Bryant in Los Angeles. EPA

Bryant dunks on the way to the US winning the gold medal against Spain at the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Reuters

Bryant talks with USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski during an Olympic team practice. AP

LeBron James greets Bryant on the court. AP

A woman looks up at a mural of Bryant and Gianna in Los Angeles. AP

Kobe Bryant celebrates after scoring 60 points in his last NBA game at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on April 13, 2016. AFP

LA Lakers' Bryant flashes the victory sign at a parade in downtown Los Angeles. AP

A municipal basketball court in Los Angeles was painted with an image of Bryant. Reuters

Bryant and Gianna watch the US national championships swimming meet in Irvine, California. AP

Vanessa, Kobe, Natalia and Gianna Bryant at the world premiere of 'A Wrinkle in Time' in Los Angeles. AP

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant arrive at the 2018 Oscars in Los Angeles. AP

A federal jury found on Wednesday that Los Angeles County must pay Kobe Bryant’s widow $16 million over photos of the NBA star’s body at the site of the 2020 helicopter crash in which he died.

The nine jurors who returned the unanimous verdict agreed with Vanessa Bryant and her lawyers that police and firefighters taking and sharing photos of the remains of Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gianna, 13, invaded her privacy and brought her emotional distress.

The jury deliberated for 4 and a half hours before reaching the verdict. Ms Bryant wept quietly as it was read out.

The pictures were shared mostly between employees of the LA County sheriff’s and fire departments including by some who were playing video games and attending an awards banquet.

They were also seen by some of their spouses and in one case by a bartender who was serving a deputy.

Ms Bryant tearfully testified during the 11-day trial that news of the photos compounded her grief a month after losing her husband and daughter, and that she still has panic attacks at the thought that they might still be out there.

“I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up,” she testified. “I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”

Her co-plaintiff Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were also among the nine people killed in the crash, was awarded $15m.

Ms Bryant’s lawyer Luis Li told jurors that the close-up photos had no official or investigative purpose, and were mere “visual gossip” shared out of a gruesome curiosity.

County lawyer Mira Hashmall said during the trial that the photos were a necessary tool for assessing the situation.

Ms Hashmall acknowledged that they should not have been shared with everyone who saw them.

But she said the photos had never appeared publicly, and had never even been seen by the plaintiffs.

She said that meant that Sheriff Alex Villanueva and other officials had taken decisive and effective action when they ordered those who had the photos to delete them.

Bryant, the former LA Lakers star, five-time NBA champion and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was travelling with Gianna and seven others to a youth basketball game when the helicopter they were aboard crashed into hills in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles, on January 26, 2020.

Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the crash.