Vanessa Bryant in tears after winning $16 million over Kobe Bryant lawsuit

Vanessa Bryant has broken down with emotion as she was awarded a huge payment for grisly photos taken of her husband Kobe Bryant.

Vanessa Bryant was seen in tears as she was awarded $16 million in damages over the horrific photos captured of her dead husband Kobe Bryant.

The 40-year-old was on Thursday awarded the huge payment as compensation for the photos of her NBA icon partner and daughter Gianna, 13, being spread by police and emergency services personnel.

The grisly photos showed the wreckage of the tragic helicopter crash, including the mangled remains of the Los Angeles Lakers legend. Nine people died in the crash.

TMZ first reported the details of the financial compensation and revealed Chris Chester, who lost his wife Sarah and 13-year-old daughter Payton in the crash, will also receive $15 million.

Vanessa Bryant, her daughter Natalia Bryant and close friend Sydney Leroux depart the court house in Los Angeles. Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP.

Vanessa Bryant is supported by friends and family as she leaves the court. Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP.

The helicopter crash that killed the 41-year-old was probably caused by the pilot becoming disoriented after flying into clouds, investigators said last year.

Vanessa Bryant then launched legal action against the sheriff’s department, the L.A. County Fire Department and the County of Los Angeles, accusing the group of invasion of privacy and negligence surrounding the investigation into the fatal crash. Her legal team had asked for $40 million in damages.

She previously went public with documents alleging up to eight members of the emergency response and follow-up investigation team took images of the crash site.

Vanessa Bryant posted the photo after the jury announced its verdict. Photo: Instagram.

Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa Bryant wipes away tears as she speaks during the “Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant” service. Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP.

It was previously alleged one of the police deputies took up to 100 photos before showing them off to members of the public and sharing them digitally “for no reason other than morbid gossip”.

Bryant was seen in tears as it was announced in a Los Angeles courtroom that a jury ruled in her favour. She was also visibly emotional as she left the court without speaking to waiting reporters.

According to local reports, she mouthed the words “thank you” towards the jury as the decision was announced and also hugged lawyer Luis Li.

She welcomed the news with an emotional Instagram post where she shared a photo of herself alongside Kobe and Gianna.

“All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi,” she captioned the photo.

Bryant was also seen wiping away tears during the trial earlier this week when a lawyer for the county defended the taking of the photos.

In her testimony, Bryant told the court she “lives in fear” of the photos resurfacing.

Authorities have previously released a statement to claim all copies of the photos have been tracked down and deleted.

“I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up,” she said.

Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant attend a Los Angeles Lakers game. Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images.

“I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up.”

She also described the horror she felt at first learning of the photos being spread.

“I bolted out of the house and around to the side so my girls wouldn’t see,” she said.

“I was blindsided again, devastated, hurt. I trusted them. I trusted them not to do these things.

“I felt like I wanted to run, run down the block and scream It was like the feeling of wanting to run down a pier and jump into the water. The problem is I can’t escape. I can’t escape my body.”

The jury had only needed 24 hours to reach a decision following a two-week trial where graphic details of the crash site photos were revealed.

Kobe, Gianna and the other passengers were all killed when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California in January, 2020.

The group was travelling to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, for a basketball match in which Gianna would play and the NBA great would coach.

Bryant is widely recognised as one of the greatest basketball players ever, a figure who became the face of his sport during a glittering two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was a five-time NBA champion in a career that began in 1996 straight out of high school and lasted until his retirement in 2016.

Originally published as Vanessa Bryant in tears after winning $16 million over Kobe Bryant lawsuit