*Vanessa Bryant intends to donate the $16 million awarded to her from her lawsuit against Los Angeles County to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.
We reported previously, via CNN, that a federal jury awarded $31 million in damages after finding the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Fire Departments liable for infringing on the constitutional rights of Vanessa Bryant and co-plaintiff Christopher Chester, who each lost a spouse and daughter in the helicopter crash in January 2020.
Bryant was awarded $16 million in damages and Chris Chester was awarded $15 million.
Bryant’s lawyer, Luis Li, said Thursday, per The Los Angeles Times that her client will donate the multi-million award to the nonprofit dedicated to honoring the legacies of Kobe and Gianna. Li did not reveal how much Vanessa will donate.
READ MORE: Vanessa is Victorious! Jury Awards $31M in Lawsuit Over Kobe Bryant Crash Photos | VIDEO
“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,” said Li In a statement to PEOPLE.
He adds, “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.”
The federal jury found both the Sheriff’s and Fire Departments lacked proper policies and training which caused the violation of rights. The only plaintiff claim not supported by jurors was in a finding that the county fire department was not liable for any long-standing widespread practice or custom of taking illicit photos. The sheriff’s department was found liable for the same issue.
At issue in the trial were photos taken by L.A. County deputies and firefighters that included not just wreckage from the helicopter, but the mangled bodies of those killed including NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, Chester’s wife Sarah, his daughter Payton and five others.
Li says that Vanessa is “deeply grateful” to Ralph Mendez and Luella Weireter, “who brought to light the decades-old practice of taking and sharing photos of accident and crime victims for no legitimate purpose.”
“It is Mrs. Bryant’s hope that this important civil rights case will put to a stop this abhorrent and callous behavior,” Li added.
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