VANESSA BRYANT

Vanessa Bryant Settles For Nearly $29 Million In Kobe And Gianna Crash Photos Lawsuit

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Vanessa Bryant

Vanessa Bryant settled with Los Angeles County yesterday for nearly $29 million dollars in a lawsuit pertaining to pictures taken and shared of the fatal 2020 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of her husband and NBA legend Kobe Bryant, her 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others.

According to ESPN, the exact amount is $28.85 million, $15 million of which a jury already awarded Bryant after a trial in federal court in 2022.

“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Vanessa Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, said in a statement. “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.”

The co-plaintiff, Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were killed in the crash as well, was awarded $19,950,000 as well.

Mira Hashmall, the lead lawyer representing LA County, said that the settlement was “fair and reasonable” and said that it “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.”

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Vanessa Bryant Settles $28.9 Million Lawsuit Over Kobe’s Crash Site Photos

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After seeking damages from Los Angeles County over photos released regarding the helicopter crash site, Vanessa Bryant has finally settled her remaining claims of nearly $30 million. Last summer, Bryant, who lost both her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna to the tragic 2020 crash, sued the county after its sheriff and fire departments shared photos corresponding to the aftermath of the accident. As reported by ESPN, her lawsuit read, “[Mrs. Bryant] lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”

When the photos initially leaked, the businesswoman and model expressed her distress. “I felt like I wanted to run down the block and scream. I can’t escape my body,” she described in court. Bryant recounted having trust in the authorities and added “I don’t ever want to see my babies in that way. Nobody should ever have to see their family in that way.” Bryant fought alongside co-plaintiff Chris Chester, who also lost his wife and daughter to the crash. Chester settled his lawsuit last year, which resulted in millions of dollars. Also in 2022, both plaintiffs won $15 million in federal court, which Bryant pledged to donate to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Bryant Awarded Damages From Los Angeles County

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant in 2013. (Photo by Donato Sardella/Getty Images for EIF)

According to USA Today, both plaintiffs were able to fight in court as the federal case did not involve California state law claims. Bryant’s attorney Luis Li noted how he hoped the win would prevent similar mishappenings to occur in the future. In a statement, he further reflected on their victory: “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.”

Although the settlement is still awaiting the court’s approval, Bryant is finally done with pursuing lawsuits on the matter. The former NBA star’s legacy lives on, as he still continues to receive tributes from fans and previous teammates. For more news on hip-hop, sports, and pop culture, be sure to visit HNHH.

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Karl Malone Allegedly Once Told Vanessa Bryant He Was “Hunting For Little Mexican Girls”

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Karl Malone is a very controversial figure in the NBA. Although he mostly just minds his business and doesn’t hang around the league anymore, the NBA saw fit to invite him to All-Star Weekend. Of course, this is because the game was in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Malone built a name for himself. However, there is a big issue here. When Malone was in college, he impregnated a 13-year-old. This is one of those things that has been swept under the rug for years. Although, there is a large subset of NBA fans who know all about this.

With all of this being out in the open, fans were simply stunned that the league would invite Malone in the first place. The NBA has not made a single comment about Malone’s past, and it is highly unlike that they will. Needless to say, this is a bit of a PR disaster for the league. Moreover, it is leading to increased coverage of Malone’s alleged past misdeeds. For instance, Rolling Stone recently did a deep dive into Malone and his alleged actions.

Karl Malone Story

Above, you can see one of the wilder alleged stories about Malone. This story reportedly took place in 2004 and involved Vanessa Bryant. At the time, Malone was on the Lakers and he came to the Staples Center in a cowboy hat. Subsequently, Bryant found the outfit amusing so she asked what he was hunting for. Knowing her Mexican heritage, Malone then replied, “I’m hunting for little Mexican girls.” This comment immediately made Bryant feel uncomfortable, although nothing really came of it. As we explained, this is an alleged story, although it is still very concerning, nonetheless.

Fans in Utah did not seem to care about the allegations surrounding Malone. In the Twitter clip down below, you can see that Malone was welcomed back with open arms. Moreover, he got to sit next to his old teammate John Stockton, who has become a conspiracy theorist in retirement. Needless to say, the city of Salt Lake was not sending its best over the weekend. Stay tuned to HNHH for more news from around the sports world.

Malone At All-Star Weekend

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Vanessa Bryant Awarded $16 Million In Damages In Crash Photos Lawsuit

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Vanessa Bryant Court kobe crash lawsuit

Jurors delivered a verdict in the lawsuit involving Vanessa Bryant against Los Angeles County and awarded her $16 million. Her co-plaintiff, Chris Chester is walking away with a $15 million judgment as well. 

Chester’s wife Sarah and 13-year-old daughter Payton, were among the nine people killed in the Jan. 26, 2020, helicopter crash near Calabasas.

READ MORE: Deputy Says He Doesn’t Regret Taking Photos Of Kobe Bryant’s Remains

Their lawsuit accuses LA county of negligence because first responders shared graphic images of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and the other victims remains.

Vanessa cried and left the courtroom at one point during the trial, with her and Chester’s legal team saying there isn’t an amount too high that they can be awarded for what they went through, calling it “inhuman and inhumane.” The federal jury unanimously agreed that first responders invaded Bryant’s privacy and caused her emotional distress by sharing photos of victims’ remains,

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ICYMI: Deputy Says He Doesn’t Regret Taking Photos Of Kobe Bryant’s Remains

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Kobe Bryant Reportedly Filed to Trademark Gigi's Nickname 'Mambacita' Last Month

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputy who took dozens of photos of Kobe Bryant’s remains says he doesn’t regret it. 

Vanessa Bryant, filed a lawsuit against the county after officials allegedly shared photos of remains taken at the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, their 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.  

Deputy Doug Johnson admitted he took 25 photos of both Kobe and Gianna’s remains at the request of deputy Raul Versales, however Bryant’s lawyers played a recording of Versales saying no one requested pictures.  

When asked if he regretted taking them or if he would have done anything differently, Johnson said “no.” 

 On Friday, a retired cop testified that officers in LA have a culture of keeping graphic photos of dead high-profile victims for their own amusement, called “ghoul books.”

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Deputy Says He Doesn’t Regret Taking Photos Of Kobe Bryant’s Remains

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Kobe Bryant Reportedly Filed to Trademark Gigi's Nickname 'Mambacita' Last Month

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputy who took dozens of photos of Kobe Bryant’s remains says he doesn’t regret it. 

Vanessa Bryant, filed a lawsuit against the county after officials allegedly shared photos of remains taken at the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, their 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.  

Deputy Doug Johnson admitted he took 25 photos of both Kobe and Gianna’s remains at the request of deputy Raul Versales, however Bryant’s lawyers played a recording of Versales saying no one requested pictures.  

When asked if he regretted taking them or if he would have done anything differently, Johnson said “no.” 

 On Friday, a retired cop testified that officers in LA have a culture of keeping graphic photos of dead high-profile victims for their own amusement, called “ghoul books.”

Continue the conversation on social media.

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Jury Selection To Begin In Trial Over Kobe Bryant Crash Scene Photos

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LA Sheriff Deputies Allegedly Shared Unauthorized, Disturbing Photos of Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash Site

Jury selection is expected to begin today in the trial involving photos taken at the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter and seven others.  

Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, contends in a lawsuit that she suffered emotional distress when first responders took and allegedly shared photos of the crash scene. Bryant claims the photos were shared by county employees at a bar and other settings not relevant to the investigation.

READ MORE: Federal Judge Sides with Vanessa Bryant Over Kobe Bryant’s Fatal Crash Photos

Her lawsuit seeks undisclosed damages on claims of emotional distress, violation of privacy and civil rights violations.

The trial will be held in downtown Los Angeles.

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SOURCE SPORTS: DeMar DeRozan Re-signs with Nike, Vanessa Bryant Denies He Will be Face of Kobe Line

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DeMar DeRozan Re-signs with Nike, Vanessa Bryant Denies He Will be Face of Kobe Line

Chicago Bulls All-star swingman DeMar DeRozan has renegotiated a deal with Nike. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the deal would place DeRozan in the face role of the Kobe division of products. DeRozan often wears Kobe sneakers while playing on the court.

Following the announcement, Vanessa Bryant provided an update to Charania’s report, citing there is no face of The Black Mamba’s line. “False. He is not the face of the Kobe line. No one is,” Vanessa Bryant wrote.

Specifics of DeRozan’s deal with Nike were not revealed. However, he is expected to continue to wear Kobe’s on the court.

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LA County Attorneys Accuse Man Who Lost His Family In Crash Of ‘Trying To Ride Vanessa Bryant’s Coattails’

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crash

A grieve-struck widow who lost his wife and daughter in the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant was told to stop riding Vanessa Bryant’s “coattails”.

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Eight others were killed in the January 26, 2020 crash, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, and Christopher Chester’s wife Sarah Chester, 45, and daughter, 13-year-old Payton.

Kobe’s widow Vanessa Bryant and Chester both sued L.A. County after sheriff’s deputies shared graphic photos from the crash site in text messages. The lawsuit alleged one sheriff’s deputy showed crash scene photos on his smartphone to a bartender at the Baja California Bar and Grill on Jan. 28, 2020.

Attorneys for L.A. County argue that while Vanessa can prove the photos of Bryant’s charred body were shared in text messages among the officers, Chester can’t prove that photos of his wife and child were among the images.

The county’s attorneys filed a motion with the U.S. District Court in California asking U.S. District Judge John F. Walter and Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick to separate Bryant and Chester’s lawsuit into two separate lawsuits.

“Chester cannot point to any evidence of photos depicting his loved ones,” the county argued.

“Given Kobe Bryant’s worldwide recognition, Bryant’s case is distinct. Chester should not be permitted to ride Bryant’s coattails and benefit from critical evidence that only pertains to Bryant.”

“Chester has shown his propensity to do this in nearly every pretrial filing and again at the July 8 pretrial conference.”

L.A. County deposed 40 witnesses who could not identify Chester’s family members in the grisly photos.

The county said Chester will “unfairly reap the benefits of the significant impact Bryant and her celebrity witnesses will have on this case.”

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Nike and Vanessa Bryant Announce New Partnership to Honor Kobe Bryant’s Legacy

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Nike and Vanessa Bryant Announce New Partnership to Honor Kobe Bryant's Legacy

Nike and the Bryant family have announced a new chapter of collaboration. The collaboration, which will be led by Vanessa Bryant, will inspire a new generation of athletes and boost youth engagement in sports. The new partnership will continue to build upon Bryant’s game-changing lineage of basketball shoes and how he contributed to the growth of basketball in North America and Greater China.

“Kobe Bryant means so much to so many of us, not just NBA fans but globally beyond the game,” says John Donahoe, President & CEO, NIKE, Inc. “His impact in growing the sport, particularly encouraging women and young people to pick it up, endures as one of his deepest, lasting legacies. Together with Vanessa, we hope to honor Kobe and Gigi by championing a new generation for many years to come.”

The Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16,” the first new Kobe release, will pay tribute to Gigi Bryant. The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation will receive 100% of the proceeds from the sneaker. Information on the release will be announced at a later time.

“I am happy to announce that we will continue my husband’s legacy with Nike and look forward to expanding his and Gigi’s global impact by sharing the Mamba Mentality with youth athletes for generations to come,” says Vanessa Bryant.

Vanessa and Nike will team up to open a kids basketball center in Southern California, while Nike and the Bryant family will continue to dress NBA and WNBA players that embody the Mamba Mentality’s heritage.

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