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Vanessa Bryant after the jury verdict in Los Angeles, California
Photo:
PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP
It's been around two and a half years since former US basketball player Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash.
A trial for photos from the crash site has now ended: a jury in Los Angeles awarded his widow Vanessa Bryant damages of $ 16 million (16 million euros) – because images of human remains from the crash had been disseminated inappropriately.
Vanessa Bryant filed the lawsuit against Los Angeles County.
She accused employees of the county sheriff's office and the fire department of having taken photos of the victims at the scene of the accident without an official reason and then having shown these photos to bystanders.
According to Bryant's lawyers, at least 11 police officers and a dozen firefighters shared the photos in the 24 hours after the accident.
In the weeks that followed, an employee of the sheriff's office "showed off" the photos at a bar, the attorneys said.
Another sent photos to a group of video game friends;
a firefighter showed photos at an award ceremony.
The lawyers are asking for $42.5 million for Bryant.
The suing district of Los Angeles did not deny that the photos were taken.
However, the lawyers argued that the pictures were never made public and have since been deleted.
$15 million in damages for Chris Chester
In addition to Vanessa Bryant, Chris Chester also complained.
He lost his wife and daughter in the helicopter crash.
The jury awarded him $15 million in damages on Wednesday.
In a separate process last year, other victims' relatives were awarded a total of $2.5 million for the photos.
Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other occupants died on January 26, 2020 when their helicopter crashed near Los Angeles.
According to the investigation, the pilot of the helicopter apparently lost his bearings after falling into thick clouds.
Bryant is considered one of the best players in the history of the North American professional league NBA.
He won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in his 20-year career and won gold medals with the US team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
In 2016 he ended his career.
aar/dpa/AFP
