Basketball star Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa was awarded $16 million as part of a $31 million jury verdict on Wednesday against Los Angeles county after deputies and firefighters shared grisly photos of the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter and other victims killed in a 2020 helicopter crash, AP reported.
Bryant’s co-plaintiff, Chris Chester was separately awarded $15 million. Chester's wife and daughter were also among the nine people killed in the crash. The LA county sheriff and fire department employees shared the images among themselves, sometimes in the context of entertainment; the images were also seen by some of the employees' spouses.
And while the images did not become public, the jurors agreed with Vanessa and her lawyers that the LA County fire department and sheriff's department employees sharing the images had invaded her privacy and brought her emotional distress.
During the trial that lasted 11 days, Vanessa testified that she still had panic attacks at the thought that they might still be out there.