Los Angeles County agrees to pay $30 million to Kobe Bryant’s widow

On January 26, 2020, shortly after 10 a.m., Kobe Bryant boarded a helicopter with his daughter Gianna. Also on board were six other people and the pilot, Ara Zobayan. They were all heading to the city of Thousand Oaks, in the southeast of the state of California, to play a basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy, a youth training center founded by Kobe Bryant. But misty weather and cloudy skies disoriented Zobayan, who crashed into the side of a hill. Bryant death left fans in shock and disbelief.

His legacy is still felt throughout the basketball world, and for those of us who were devoted fans, it is hard to process that he’s gone. Kobe was more than just an incredible player on the court; he had a tremendous impact on the lives of people from all walks of life with his philanthropic work, kindness, and genuine personality.

In fact, for me it is somewhat annoying to see how some seem to forget the great impact that Kobe had on the game. The debate centers on whether MJ or LeBron, but hardly anyone mentions Kobe. I think black mamba was much better than James, but that is a debate we can have another time, since we are here to talk about the agreement reached by Vanessa Bryant, widow of Kobe with the county of Los Angeles.

End of a lengthy legal battle

After nearly three years of litigation, Los Angeles County has agreed to pay Vanessa Bryant nearly $30 million for the leak of footage of the helicopter crash that killed her husband and her 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. years.

The agreement reached by the parties is added to a compensation of 16 million that the authorities of the American city were forced to pay to the widow of the Lakers legend after a federal trial.

In total, Bryant’s family, plus three other families, will receive more than $50 million for the horrific accident and the mishandling that occurred around it.

“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” 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.”

Mira Hashmall, the lead lawyer representing the county, was pleased with the agreement as she considers it fair and also sets a precedent so that no new allegations can be made by those affected, “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.”

Privacy violation by authorities

Many believe Vanessa was looking to take advantage of the situation by suing the county, but I think she did the right thing, no one wants to see photos of a loved one’s accident leaked all over the media.

The jury concluded last August that the police violated the privacy of the families after the agents and firefighters who went to the area of the accident took pictures of the fallen helicopter with their mobile phones and later shared them with other uniformed officers. “I expected more compassion and respect from him,” Vanessa Bryant, the basketball player’s widow, said during the trial. “My husband and daughter deserve dignity,” she added.

The authorities justified their actions by taking photos by claiming that they had to capture images of the accident for their reports, a poor excuse if you ask me.

I hope that Kobe’s legacy lives on, we must remember what this great player did and learn from him, since he had an extraordinary mentality.