Vanessa Bryant jury award to be slashed by $1M due to error, report
Vanessa Bryant testified in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles that she felt 'betrayed' by the breach
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vanessa Bryant's $16 million jury award over the sharing of grisly crash-site photos of her late NBA star husband, Kobe Bryant, will be reduced by $1 million, according to a report.
The former Lakers Legend and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, perished in a Jan. 26, 2020, helicopter crash in Calabasas, California – along with seven others who were onboard.
Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, who lost his wife Sarah and their daughter, Payton, 13, in the collision, sued Los Angeles County for invasion of privacy after learning that first responders had shared gruesome images of their loved one's remains with nearly 30 people.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The nine-person jury awarded Bryant $16 million and Chester $15 million – but the uneven division was in error, USA Today reported.
Vanessa and Kobe Bryant arrive at the Oscars in Los Angeles, March 4, 2018. Vanessa won a lawsuit against Los Angeles County over photos deputies shared of her husband's remains after he died in a 2020 helicopter crash. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
"It was the nine jurors' intent that both plaintiffs Vanessa Bryant and Christopher Chester to be awarded equally," U.S. District Judge John F. Walter noted Friday in Los Angeles federal court, according to the newspaper.
Vanessa Bryant's lawyer, Luis Li, said that his client felt it was a "just result" for both plaintiffs to receive the same amount.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VANESSA BRYANT WEEPS ON WITNESS STAND OVER LEAKED PHOTOS OF KOBE BRYANT'S REMAINS
After the verdict was read in court, a juror told the courtroom deputy that there was an error in the verdict form for Bryant that had mistakenly apportioned an additional $1 million to her.
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant's widow, leaves a federal courthouse in Los Angeles, Aug. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The jury note informing the court of the blunder and the transcript of Friday's hearing are sealed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vanessa Bryant, who has three surviving daughters with her late husband, previously announced that she'd donate the full award to the Mamba and Mambacita foundation. The charity was founded by Kobe Bryant and renamed after his passing to honor the legacy of the hoops star and his daughter, Gianna.
Former Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna Bryant during the NBA All-Star Game 2016. They both died in a 2020 helicopter crash in California. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
"From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability," her attorney Li previously said in a statement. He called the lawsuit an "important civil rights case" that brought to light "the decades old practice of taking and sharing photos of accident and crime victims for no legitimate purpose."
He said it is his client's hope that this lawsuit will "put to a stop to this abhorrent and callous behavior."
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The photos were never released publicly. "I live in fear every day of seeing on social media these images pop up," Vanessa Bryant testified at trial.