On Friday, August 19th, 2022, Vanessa Bryant testified that she was only beginning to grieve the loss of her husband, Kobe Bryant, and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna, when she was faced with the horror of learning that sheriff’s deputies and firefighters had shot and shared photos of their bodies at the site of the helicopter crash that killed them.

A judge determined that the previously announced $31 million combined jury award against LA County for Vanessa Bryant and her co-plaintiff in the crash-site photos trial should have been $30 million — based on a juror’s note delivered less than an hour after the higher number was read in court and announced globally on Wednesday, August 17th.

On Friday’s federal court hearing, District Judge John Walter read into record that at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, a juror advised the courtroom deputy that there was an error in the verdict form for Vanessa Bryant, who was awarded $16 million total for past and future damages — including $2.5 million to be paid by the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

The courtroom deputy advised the juror to write a note explaining the alleged error.

In the note, the juror stated that Vanessa Bryant should be awarded $1.5 million by the sheriff’s department, not $2.5 million, for past damages, and it was also the nine jurors’ intent that both plaintiffs Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester be awarded equally.

Vanessa Bryant agreed to the amended verdict to reduce her award by $1 million to avoid any potential need for examination of jurors since they had already been discharged.

Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, told the court that his client “truly feels that it’s a just result that she was awarded the same amount as Mr. Chester. From her heart she feels that.”

The judge said that in light of the circumstances, recalling the discharged jury would not have been appropriate.

“The jury in this case not only left the building but had to be escorted out of the building to ensure their privacy. The juror did not notify the Court of the potential error until almost 35 to 40 minutes after the verdicts were read after which major news organizations were already reporting the results of the verdict.”

At the conclusion of the hearing, Bryant’s attorney Luis Li stated that in his 30 years of practice, he’s never dealt with such a “sticky issue” relating to jurors.

The damages levied against Los Angeles County were awarded to compensate for past and future mental anguish caused by the actions of county personnel who snapped and shared cell phone pictures taken at the January 2020 accident scene.

Both plaintiffs lost spouses and daughters in the crash. Bryant’s husband and daughter Gianna, and Chester’s wife Sarah and 13-year-old daughter Payton died in the crash on a remote Calabasas hillside.

The jurors reached their verdict after roughly four-and-a-half hours of deliberations on the trial’s 11th day. In calculating damages, the jury found that the sheriff’s department and the LA County Fire Department both violated Bryant and Chester’s constitutional rights to privacy for their loved ones in death.

The verdict came one day after what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday, also known as “Mamba Day” in Los Angeles, which celebrates his life each year on August 24th.

The widow announced plans to donate proceeds from her part of the judgment to a foundation named in her husband’s and daughter’s memory. The nonprofit Mamba and Mambacita Sports foundation offers sports education to underserved athletes.

We understand that losing a significant other or family member caused by actions of others is an emotionally challenging ordeal.

If you are mourning the loss of a loved one who has suffered a wrongful death, please don’t hesitate to contact our dedicated personal injury attorneys to help you recover and receive the compensation you deserve.