Vanessa Bryant will donate all $16 million she won in her legal battle against Los Angeles County to honor the memory of Kobe and Gianna.
Two years after LA County first responders took pictures of Vanessa’s husband and daughter following their Calabasas helicopter crash, Bryant was awarded a $16 million payout after the jury ruled the emergency responders’ action unlawful.
Following a verdict in her favor, Bryant was awarded $2.5 million and $7.5 million for past and future suffering from the sheriff’s department. She was awarded an additional $1 million and $5 million for past and future suffering from the fire department.
Meanwhile, Bryant’s co-defendant, Chris Chester, was awarded a payout totaling $15 million.
Both payouts highly exceed the payouts of the families of other victims who were awarded $2.5 million each last year.
After the ruling, Bryant reportedly broke into tears and mouthed a ‘thank you’ as she faced the jury.
It has now also come to light that she will donate the entire payout to Mamba & Mambacita Foundation, a not-for-profit organization established in Kobe and Gianna’s memory.
The organization, according to its website description, is “dedicated to creating positive impact for underserved athletes and boys & girls in sports” by providing “funding and sports programming.”
As Bryant proudly confirmed, she wants the payout to “shine a light on Kobe and Gigi’s legacy.”
“From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability, but our legal system does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline,” Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, said in a statement.
“Those measures are the responsibility of the sheriff’s and fire departments – responsibilities that Mrs. Bryant’s efforts have exposed as woefully deficient, even giving amnesty to the wrongdoers.
“Mrs. Bryant was courageous and never faltered, even when the County attempted to force her to submit to an involuntary psychiatric examination.”
He added: “She is deeply grateful to Ralph Mendez and Luella Weireter, the good Samaritans who brought to light the decades old practice of taking and sharing photos of accident and crime victims for no legitimate purpose.”
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