Vanessa Bryant To Receive $28.85 Million In Settlement For Photos Taken During A Helicopter Crash

Vanessa Bryant and three of her daughters will receive $28.85 million from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, settling Bryant's lawsuit over published images of her late husband, Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna at the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash. According to The New York Times, a federal jury awarded Bryant $16 million in August 2022 but it was lowered by $1 million owing to a technical error.

Deputies and firefighters took and circulated the images. The photos were given to various personnel at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and were seen by friends, spouses, and in one case, a bartender. Vanessa Bryant stated that learning about the images added to her emotional turmoil and that the prospect of the photos being shared on social media causes panic attacks. She testified that “I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up”.

On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash en route to a youth basketball game crashed.