Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa Bryant gets $15 million, $1 million less after jury error. Here's what happened

The jury informed the court about a mistake on the verdict form and had the compensation awarded to Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, reduced by $1 million in a lawsuit over crash photos.

Reporters had published the photos of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others from the crash site without seeking the consent of the family members. The total compensation to Vanessa now stands at $15 million after the judge ruled in her favor.

The amount was reduced as the jurors found a mistake on the verdict form and informed the court about the lapse.


This change has been accepted by the affected families of both Kobe Bryant and Chris Chester. The judge has awarded both Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester the same amount.

Judge John F. Walter declared that it was primarily the wish of the 9 jurors who decided that Vanessa and Chris should be compensated the same amount.

Vanessa’s lawyer, Luis Li, spoke on her behalf and informed the court that her client felt it was a 'just' ruling and that both families got the same amount. Both Bryant and Chester registered cases against Los Angeles County after losing their respective spouses and family members.

The lawsuits pointed out the irrational behavior of county sheriff’s office staff and fire department staff in blatantly sharing photos of the bodies of the deceased amongst their respective departments.



This caused the plaintiffs, Bryant's and Chester's surviving family members, extreme pain and anguish. The trial lasted for 11 days and the result was declared that it was a violation of their constructional rights.

In the read-out of the verdict, one of the jurors claimed there was a mistake and that Bryant would be paid $1.5 million for emotional distress and not $2.5 million as mentioned. The jury also awarded $13.5 million in additional damages caused to both survivors.

In interaction with reporters, Attorney Luis Li said her client did not seek any specific amount but was focusing on the actors' being judged on accountability.

Blatantly sharing the photos from the crash site was nothing but a gross display of a lack of ethics and accountability. The amount will be given to the Mamba and Mambacita foundation in memory of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant. Attorney Li pointed out that her client was not trying to preach what was right or wrong, but it was the prerogative of the fire department and the sheriff’s office to provide training and morality codes for their officers.

The photos were shared between the fire department and sheriff’s office employees and were never posted online. Moreover, the court also noted that the plaintiffs never saw the photos and they were deleted by all who took them.