Vanessa Bryant Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit With Helicopter Company One Year After Kobe & Gigi's Death
June 22 2021, Published 9:27 p.m. ET
Vanessa Bryant has settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the company that owned the helicopter in the fatal crash that killed her husband, daughter, and seven others.
According to reports, the legal team representing Kobe Bryant's widow has filed a notice of settlement.
The details surrounding the settlement are confidential.
On January 26, 2020, the helicopter Kobe Bryant was riding in with the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Gigi, and seven others crashed and burst into flames. There were no survivors.
In February 2020, Vanessa filed a lawsuit against Island Express, blaming the company for the horrific crash.
In her argument, she claimed weather conditions were not conducive to flying.
Vanessa also pointed the finger at the helicopter pilot, Ara George Zobayan. She claimed the pilot failed to properly check the conditions before takeoff and during the short flight.
While her lawsuit against the helicopter company is now settled, Vanessa still has an ongoing lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Vanessa named the four sheriff's officers who allegedly flashed pictures of the helicopter crash scene that fatal day. She's accusing them of taking and leaking images of the tragic scene, as well as "showing off" photos of her husband and daughter's dead bodies.
In May, the county hit back. They allege Vanessa is running a "fishing expedition" on the cops.
In the filing, Los Angeles Country attorneys claim the late Lakers star's widow is "subjecting first responders to harassment and threats."
They also allege Vanessa is going too far and using a “scorched earth” search for information on the four officers.
"This straightforward case, with undisputed facts, has turned into a fishing expedition that is taking first responders away from their jobs — and subjecting them to public harassment and threats," the documents read.
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Vanessa's lawsuit seeks to punish those responsible for allegedly leaking the photos and “make an example of them to the community."
She claims the named cops shared the graphic photos of her deceased family "without any legitimate governmental purpose."
Kobe's widow has asked the court to allow her more time to gather information, evidence, and conduct witness depositions.
Vanessa wants the cutoff date of discovery moved from August to February.
