LA County Sheriff and Fire Ordered to Pay Kobe Bryant’s Widow and Co-Plaintiff $31 Million Over Crash Photos

Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa Bryant and her co-plaintiff, Chris Chester, have been awarded $31 million combined by a Los Angeles jury in a trial over the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) and Fire Department's (LAFD) involvement in sharing photos of the bodies of Bryant’s and Chester's families after a 2020 fatal helicopter crash. Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant

LASD was ordered to pay Vanessa $10 million, with $2.5 million for pain and suffering and $7.5 million for any future pain and suffering —and they were ordered to pay Chester $9 million total. The LAFD was also ordered to pay Vanessa and Chester $6 million each for past and future pain and suffering, KFI reports.

Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant (his 13-year-old daughter) Sarah Chester (Chris Chester’s wife), Payton Chester (13), John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser; and the pilot, Ara Zobayan were killed in the Calabasas, CA, crash.

Vanessa Bryant and Chester sued Los Angeles County for "emotional distress and mental anguish after learning members of the department had shared photos of the victims' remains."