Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s widow, is reportedly pursuing a significant amount in damages in her wrongful death lawsuit over the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of the NBA legend on January 26th. It is believed that she could be seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from the helicopter company and the late pilot’s estate who were responsible for operating the aircraft at the time.
In February, Vanessa filed a lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters Inc. and the estate of pilot Ara Zobayan. The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of the defendants, including failure to assess weather conditions before the flight and flying in foggy conditions without proper clearance for the pilot to operate the helicopter.
On the day of the tragic incident, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department had grounded their helicopters due to poor visibility caused by foggy weather. This decision was made based on safety concerns as the weather conditions did not meet the minimum standards required for flying.
In court filings obtained by The Blast, Vanessa Bryant’s legal team stated that the lawsuit seeks economic damages, non-economic damages, prejudgment interest, punitive damages, and other appropriate relief. The filing also mentions that Kobe Bryant’s potential lost earnings amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, although the exact total for personal injury damages is yet to be determined.
The official cause of death for all nine passengers involved in the crash was determined to be blunt-force trauma by the Los Angeles County medical examiner/coroner’s office.
Kobe Bryant had an estimated fortune of $600 million at the time of his untimely passing.
