Kobe Bryant's Widow Vanessa Bryant Gets Nearly $29 Million From Los Angeles County Over Crash Photos Lawsuit

Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, has reached a nearly $29 million deal with Los Angeles County to settle a civil lawsuit over the distribution of photos taken at the helicopter crash scene that killed her husband, her daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others in January 2020.

The lawsuit related to the helicopter crash on a Calabasas, California, hillside and the images that surfaced afterward was resolved after several months of court proceedings.

In a statement to CNN, Bryant's attorney Luis Li said, "today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant's courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct."

Li noted that Kobe Bryant's widow fought "for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect." He added that they hoped that Bryant's victory at trial and "this settlement will put an end to this practice."

In a separate statement, Mira Hashmall, lead trial counsel for Los Angeles County, said the $28,850,000 settlement includes the verdict awarded by a federal jury last August.

Hashmall noted that it also "resolves all outstanding issues related to pending legal claims in state court," any future claims by Bryant's surviving daughters, and "other costs, with each party responsible for its respective attorneys' fees."

Natalia Bryant, the 20-year-old daughter of the late Kobe Bryant, 6-year-old Bianka Bella Bryant, and 3-year-old Capri Kobe Bryant, were reportedly named in the lawsuit, along with their mother as Bryant seemed to amend her initial lawsuit to add her daughters. However, it was unclear when did she amend it, TMZ reported.

$16 Million Court Winnings of Kobe Bryant's Widow Vanessa Bryant Reduced

In August, Vanessa Bryant won a huge legal battle against Los Angeles County, which forced the local government to pay her and co-plaintiff Chris Chester a total of $31 million in damages over the distribution of photos taken at the helicopter crash scene.

A nine-member jury awarded Bryant $16 million, while Chester was separately awarded $15 million after a civil trial that went into graphic detail about the gruesome photos taken from the crash site. However, Bryant's attorney said the $16 million was later reduced to $15 million because of a clerical error.

Bryant and Chester sued Los Angeles County for emotional distress caused by deputies and firefighters sharing photos of their loved ones' bodies at the helicopter crash site. Luis Li previously said Bryant only sought accountability, adding that the legal system "does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline."

The lawyer noted that Kobe Bryant's widow hopes this case will help change the "callous behavior" of the sheriff and fire departments' first responders.

Vanessa Bryant Lawsuit Changed Invasion of Privacy Rules in California

Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester sued Los Angeles County for invasion of privacy and negligence. Kobe Bryant's widow claimed that the county sheriff's and fire department employees improperly shared images of human remains from the helicopter crash.

The defense argued that the photos were never made public. However, the plaintiffs' lawyers said there was evidence that several other people received the images before Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva ordered the photos to be deleted.

Bryant has made it clear that the thought of the photos of her husband and daughter's dead bodies surfacing gave her panic attacks and that the county has given her emotional damage.

According to reports, most of the money will come from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, which has a long-established practice of sharing photos from crime scenes.

This practice has already been made illegal thanks to California Governor Gavin Newsom, who signed the "Kobe Bryant Act," which made it illegal for first responders to share photos of a dead person at a crime scene or a scene of an accident.

Photos taken at such scenes can only be for "Law Enforcement Purposes."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Vanessa Bryant Settles Helicopter Crash Photos Lawsuit for $28.85 Million - From NBC News