Celebrities
Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit claims family lost ‘hundreds of millions’ of dollars as a result of Kobe’s death
The mother-of-four filed a wrongful death lawsuit in February
Vanessa Bryant is still dealing with the aftermath from the deaths of her husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gianna Bryant. In February, the mother-of-four filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters. In the 72-page suit, filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court, Vanessa argued that the Island Express agents and employees, including the helicopter’s pilot Ara George Zobayan,were at fault for the fatal crash that killed Kobe, Gianna, Ara and six others on January 26.
New documents obtained by E! News revealed that Vanessa is seeking “economic damages, non-economic damages, prejudgment interest, punitive damages,” and any additional relief that the court deems proper. In addition, the papers state that, “Although the total specific amount of personal injury damages that the Plaintiff seeks is TBD, Kobe Bryant’s future loss earning equals hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Vanessa’s suit claims that Ara Zobayan “failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff, failed to abort the flight when he knew of the cloudy conditions and failed to properly and safely operate the helicopter resulting in the crash.”
In just five months after the accident, the pilot’s brother Berge Zobayan responded to the claim in a seven-page document stating, “Any injuries or damages to plaintiffs and/or their decedent were directly caused in full or in part by the negligence or fault of plaintiffs and/ or their decedent, including their knowing and voluntary encounter with the risk involved.”
On January 26, the world was rocked by the news that Kobe, 41, Gianna, 13, John Altobelli, 56, Keri Altobelli, 46, Alyssa Altobelli, 14, Sarah Chester, 45, Payton Chester, 13, Christina Mauser, 38, and Ara, 50, were all killed when the helicopter carrying them to the Mamba Sports Academy crashed. Vanessa filed the initial court documents on February 24, the same day that Kobe and Gianna’s memorial service was held at the Staples Center.
