Bryant received $16 million in damages and Chris Chester received $15 million.
Immediately after the verdict was read, Bryant hugged his lawyers. As she continued to cry, Bryant tearfully hugged her daughter Natalia in the front row. She left court without making a statement, but posted a photo of herself, Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna on Instagram with the caption: “All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi!”
“This case has always been about accountability,” his lawyer Luis Li said in a statement. “And now the jury has spoken unanimously.”
County Attorney Mira Hashmall, who led LA County’s outside counsel, issued a statement shortly after the verdict.
“While we disagree with the jury’s findings regarding the county’s liability, we believe the monetary award shows that the jurors did not believe the evidence supported the plaintiffs’ request for $75 million for emotional distress.” , Hashmall said. “We will be discussing next steps with our client. In the meantime, we hope the Bryant and Chester families continue to heal from their tragic loss.”
The federal jury found that both the Sheriff and the Fire Department lacked adequate policies and training that led to the rights violation. Plaintiff’s only claim not supported by the jury was in a finding that the county fire department was not responsible for any long-standing widespread practice or custom of taking unlawful photos. The sheriff’s department was held responsible for the same problem.
Included in the trial were photos taken by LA County deputies and firefighters that included not only wreckage from the helicopter, but also the mutilated bodies of the dead, including NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, the Chester’s wife Sarah, their daughter Payton and five others. .The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the helicopter pilot exceeded the limits of bad weather flight rules before crashing into a hill in Calabasas, California.
Bryant and Chester argued that the photos of their loved ones caused emotional distress and violated their privacy. Each stated they lived in fear that the photos would get out, despite LA County’s claim that every image had been destroyed.
Jurors heard 11 days of graphic testimony. Testimony during the trial included a deputy who said he showed graphic images of the scene while at a bar, another deputy who said he shared photos while playing a video game, a deputy who sent dozens of photos to someone he didn’t know and a fire official who showed the footage to other staff during the cocktail hour of the awards ceremony.
In September 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law an invasion of privacy law called the “Kobe Bryant Act” that makes it illegal for first responders to share photos of a dead person at the scene of the crime “for any purpose other than an official”. law enforcement purpose.” The misdemeanor is punishable by up to $1,000 per violation.
Coincidentally, Los Angeles has designated Wednesday, August 24th as “Kobe Bryant Day” to honor the Los Angeles Lakers star’s two jersey numbers, 8 and 24, that he wore during his career in the ‘NBA. The Lakers have retired both numbers.
The defense wanted to separate emotions from legality
The deliberations began Wednesday shortly after a Los Angeles County attorney argued the trial is a “case of images without images,” noting that the gruesome photos of human remains have never been seen by the public, even by the plaintiffs.
“No footage is good. No footage means no public release … no risk of other people making mistakes,” Hashmall, the county attorney, said in closing arguments in the trial.
In an emotional rebuttal, Li argued Wednesday that the county’s actions in taking those photos were reckless and inhumane and caused emotional distress.
“They poured salt into an incurable wound and that’s why we’re all here today,” he said.
During closing arguments Wednesday, Los Angeles County attorneys tried to separate Vanessa Bryant’s emotional testimony from the legal issues the jury must consider.
Hashmall argued that the county’s actions to remove the photos meant they were never publicly distributed, and further argued that the first people who took the photos did not violate Bryant’s rights.
He urged the jury to consider the law, which allows a verdict against the county only if it can be shown that the county’s policies were sufficiently deficient to prevent the photos from being disseminated or if there is a longstanding practice of such behavior within of the sheriff and the fire. departments
“If the county didn’t take (photo sharing) seriously, why is this whole case based on the county’s investigation?” she said
Jurors also wrestled with what constitutes “the public” in this case. The plaintiffs argued that any deputy without an investigative reason to have the photos should be considered public. One of the deputies shared photographs containing human remains with another deputy while they were playing the video game “Call of Duty,” and another showed them to a bartender he considered a friend.
Hashmall agreed that was wrong, but asked the jury to consider whether it “shocked the conscience,” a legal threshold the jury must consider in reaching its verdict.
“Do you realize you needed to talk?” Hashmall asked. He also noted that the deputy was disciplined for his actions. “This is not a constitutional issue, this is a county issue,” he said.
In their rebuttal, Bryant’s lawyers argued that the photos could still exist because one of the Air deputies sent them to a firefighter who has not been identified. They also argued that the county improperly investigated the incident, allowing photos of human remains to emerge.
The rebuttal brought tears from Vanessa Bryant and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka in the courtroom. Li, Bryant’s attorney, said the jury’s decision is “important for families across the United States who could suffer a tragedy one day.”
Citing testimony from veteran law enforcement officials, including Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Li reminded the jury of a practice of first responders keeping “death books” since the Polaroid. He told the jury: “This has been going on for decades. Make it stop.”
Bryant audibly sobbed and clutched tissues as Li declared that photos of the mangled bodies of family members are private and should not be shared with deputies just “because they’re wearing a badge the next morning, to provide [the photos] to his wife.”
Describing how deputies must have gone to great lengths to find Gianna Bryant’s remains in a ravine to photograph her, Li asked, “Does that shock the conscience?”
He told her that while there is no way for a jury to check a box for better training, better policies or more discipline, there is only one box that jurors can check for damage: “Whatever you put in this box will serve to illuminate the legacy of Kobe and Gianna Bryant.”
He concluded by applauding the two complainants, one of whom sat in the room. Li was moved when he said, “But for these people, we might never have heard of it.”
CNN’s Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.