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BREAKING: Vanessa Bryant Awarded $16 Million Over Gruesome Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash Photo Leaks

Published 08/25/2022, 12:22 AM EDT

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Two years ago, the world lost one of the biggest names in sports. Kobe Bryant and eight others suffered a fatal accident in a gruesome helicopter crash. The aftermath of the crash was devastating. Family. friends and almost the entire sporting world were left in disbelief. However, what seemed to be over had another turn in the story.

Vanessa Bryant’s life turned into a nightmare. Photos of the crash site came out to the world, and the 40-year-old’s heart dropped. She suffered panic attacks and feared the photos coming out again.

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Vanessa Bryant, along with her co-plaintiff Chris Chester, subsequently sued Los Angeles County after several members of the department shared photos of the crash site and the victim’s bodies.

Vanessa gets justice for Kobe Bryant

While investigating the Calabasas crash, the LA Sheriff’s Department took photos for inspection. However, what followed was simply unacceptable to Vanessa and Chester. A few of the deputies and firefighters circulated the photos at a gala. When the photos came to the surface, Vanessa had to rush out of her house in distress.

The county agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle the matter. However, Vanessa wanted justice for Kobe Bryant. She took the matter to court. After an emotional proceeding, she was awarded $16 million. The Los Angeles jury awarded Bryant and Chester a combined $31 million, after an emotional trial that began on August 10.

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Chester, who lost his wife Sarah and their 13-year-old-daughter Payton, was awarded a sum of $15 million for emotional distress while Bryant was awarded $16 million. Incidentally, the verdict came on August 24, celebrated as Kobe Bryant Day, in honor of the Los Angeles Lakers legend who wore number 8 and number 24 for the franchise during his NBA career.

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Since Kobe Bryant’s passing, Vanessa has been busy continuing the legacy Kobe Bryant left behind. She relaunched the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, in honor of her husband and daughter Gianna. In addition, Vanessa kept Kobe’s legacy alive through a new sponsorship deal with Nike.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kevin Durant vs Kobe Bryant’s first playoff duel in 2010

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Moving on from such a heavy loss could never be easy. The NBA universe undoubtedly still feels the loss of Kobe Bryant today. Arguably, the wound is much bigger for Vanessa. This situation possibly reopened all the pain.

What do you make of the entire situation? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar

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Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.
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Edited by:

Veer Badani