Co-plaintiff Chris Chester settled for nearly $20 million.
February 28, 2023, 8:54 PM
Vanessa Bryant settled her remaining claims with Los Angeles County on Tuesday for $28,850,000 over photos that members of the sheriff's department shared after the helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna in January 2020, according to county attorneys.
Co-plaintiff Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were also killed in the crash, settled for $19,950,000.
"Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant's courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct. She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice," Luis Li, Vanessa Bryant's attorney, said in a statement.
Vanessa Bryant photographed at her arrival at U.S. Federal Courthouse on Aug. 19, 2022 in Los Angeles.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE
LA County attorneys said they hoped the Bryant and Chester families would be able to heal from their loss.
"We believe the settlement approved by the Board in the Bryant case is fair and reasonable. The $28,850,000 settlement includes the verdict awarded by the federal jury in August 2022, and further resolves all outstanding issues related to pending legal claims in state court, future claims by the Bryant children, and other costs, with each party responsible for its respective attorneys' fees," Mira Hashmall, partner at the Miller Barondess law firm and lead trial counsel for LA County in the Bryant-Chester case, said in a statement.
Vanessa Bryant photographed at her arrival at U.S. Federal Courthouse on Aug. 19, 2022 in Los Angeles.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE
Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others died in a helicopter crash in the wealthy Southern California residential neighborhood of Calabasas on Jan. 26, 2020.
Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit several months after the crash against Los Angeles County, alleging that first responders took graphic photos of human remains at the scene as "souvenirs" and shared them with others. She claimed she suffered emotional distress and sued for negligence and invasion of privacy.
In August 2022, a jury awarded Vanessa Bryant $16 million in her invasion of privacy trial against Los Angeles County.
ABC News' Meredith Deliso and Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report.
