A federal jury ruled on Wednesday that Vanessa Bryant is to be awarded $16 million from Los Angeles County as a result of emotional distress caused by shared photos of her deceased husband, Kobe Bryant, and daughter, Gianna, at the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash, the Associated Press reported.
The photos were taken and dispersed by deputies and firefighters. The pictures were sent to multiple employees within the LA County sheriff’s office and seen by friends, spouses and, in one case, a bartender.
Vanessa Bryant testified that news of the photos compounded her emotional distress and that the thought of the photos appearing on social media induces panic attacks.
“I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up,” she testified, according to the AP. “I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”
Co-plaintiff Chris Chester was also awarded $15 million from the case. Chester’s wife and daughter were also among the nine people killed in the crash.
The group was killed on Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter carrying them to a youth basketball game crashed due to pilot error.
The jury returned its anonymous verdict after deliberating for fewer than five hours.
(Photo: David Butler II / USA Today)
READ NEWS SOURCE
The post Vanessa Bryant awarded $16 million in case of photos taken at helicopter crash scene: Report appeared first on thewashingtondigest.com.
