LOS ANGELES – In honor of NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday, his widow Vanessa’s lawyers told a federal court jury on Tuesday that it has been more than two years since he and his daughter died. After that, he demanded that justice be done on his behalf and on his daughter’s behalf.
it was the tenth day Vanessa Bryant Civil Lawsuit Against Los Angeles Countyanother day of her tears and the final day of testimony after hearing from dozens of witnesses. For the first time ever, I have offered a monetary amount for what I would like fellow plaintiff Chris Chester to adjudicate.
$75 million.
Chester’s attorney, Jerome Jackson, is seeking up to $2.5 million each for emotional distress over the past 2.5 years, plus up to $1 million annually for future distress (40 years for Bryant, 30 years for Chester). Did.
“When I get to this point in closing arguments, I’m usually worried not to ask too much,” Jackson told jurors in closing arguments. Ladies and gentlemen, we can’t reward you with a lot of money for what they’ve been through. It’s brutal and inhumane.”
Bryant isn’t asking for a specific amount.
She and Chester took the case to court after suing the county in 2020. It comes months after she lost her spouse and daughter in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, killing all nine of them.They don’t blame the county for the crash itself but what happened after thatBoth county sheriffs and fire department employees have been accused of using personal cell phones to take graphic photos of loved ones who died at the crash site for no legitimate business reason. did.
The photo was never posted online and was removed shortly after the crash, the county said.But Bryant and Chester Says he lives in fear of photos resurfacing There’s no way to know if they still exist somewhere, so they’re always ready to pop up.
“44 years ago today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kobe Bryant was born,” Bryant’s attorney, Craig Jennings Lavoy, told jurors before beginning his closing statement. Bryant is calling for justice and accountability on behalf of him and her, and on behalf of her daughter Gianna, who would be 16 if she were still here with us.
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Bryant wore black during Tuesday’s trial, making the first Instagram post since the trial began on Aug. 10. It was a photo of her and Kobe with the comment:
“Happy birthday baby! I love you and miss you!
closing argument
Her memories quickly turned to sadness in court as the trial drew to a close. After closing arguments resume Wednesday morning, a jury of five men and her four women will be tasked with making a series of decisions on the case.
►Did the first responders in these counties violate? Bryant and Chester’s Constitutional Right to Privacy Under the 14th Amendment by publicly disseminating these crash site photographs because they wanted to use them as “memorabilia” or objects of entertainment?
►If so, is the county organizationally responsible?
►If so, how much should the jury award them in exchange for their past and future emotional distress?
Jennings Lavoie briefed jurors on key points of evidence at trial. Conflicting statements of people who took and shared photos, and two major public incidents in which county workers shared photos of the crash site. One involved firefighter Tony Imbrenda showing crash photos at an awards ceremony in February 2020, and witnesses said the photos included images of Kobe’s “burnt-out” body. Imbrenda testified that he had heard that there was, but Imbrenda denied it at trial.
In another case, Jennings Lavoie told jurors that the “clearest example” of a violation came from Sheriff’s Deputy Trainee Joey Cruz. A person who showed pictures of the crash site at a restaurant bar two days after the crash.
Jennings Lavoie also took up the case of fire chief Brian Jordan, according to the fire department. Jordan testified that he was ordered to take photos of the crash site by current deputy chief Anthony Malone.
But Marone testified this week that it wasn’t true. He also said that at one point, Jordan texted him the location of Gianna Bryant’s remains in the canyon at the crash site.
“Based on that, Chief Malone understood that Brian Jordan had his eye on her…in that canyon,” Jennings Lavoy said.
Jennings Lavoie later accused Jordan of “taking personal keepsake photos of his deceased child not for business purposes, but because he wanted to give himself these pictures to take home as trophies.”
Sitting at the plaintiffs’ table in front of the jury, Bryant wiped his eyes with a tissue as Jennings Lavoy delved into the subject.
“Can you imagine?” Jennings Lavoie asked the jury. “It’s up to you to decide if it shocks your conscience. It shocks your conscience a thousand times more. And after he took those pictures, he gave them to himself (and ) left that day and spread it publicly.”
In December 2020, the Fire Department sent Jordan a letter of “intention to leave the hospital,” citing Jordan’s misuse of such photographs, stating that the photographs were “inspired by vulgar instincts and desires that amounted to visual gossip.” I would just sue,” he said. Instead, Jordan decided on his early retirement. He testified last week that he appeared in court for “false allegations” and could not recall being at the crash site that day. Claimed he didn’t even know who Gianna Bryant was.
destruction of evidence
Jordan was also asked in court last week what happened to his computer hard drive. He said he had no clue and hinted to plaintiffs’ attorneys that it may still contain gruesome photographs that could reappear at any moment.
This was another key part of plaintiffs’ lawsuit, the destruction of evidence. County officials deleted the photos shortly after the crash, so plaintiffs have no way of telling exactly what was in the photos or where they went.their lawyers instead to elicit testimony from witnesses about what they contained Then match them with the descriptions of the accident victims.
“You can infer that the evidence was bad for them,” Jennings Lavoie told jurors.
Jennings Lavoie also told jurors about plaintiffs’ theory that the county was responsible for the employee’s conduct in this case because it did not have the appropriate policies or training to prevent it. , Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva showed video footage of a juror conducting an interview, in which he said “a cop.” There is a long tradition of taking and sharing gruesome photos of death from accidents and crime scenes.
“It’s been tolerated for decades,” Jennings Lavoie told jurors.
The county has contested this, but a jury must first determine whether a county employee violated Bryant and Chester’s rights in this case.
Chester’s attorney asked the jury to hold the sheriff responsible for half the damage and the fire department for half.
“They stole his dignity and his family’s privacy,” Jackson said of his client. They laughed and lied about it, and they tried to combat it with clumsy, sloppy, and ridiculous cover-ups, sometimes failing to even keep their story straight.
The county is scheduled to give closing arguments to jurors on Wednesday.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenbohr @schrotenbohrEmail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY. Kobe Bryant photo trial: Jurors asked plaintiffs to award $75 million
