Jury finds in favour of Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa and orders for her to be paid $16m in trial over crash photos

Vanessa Bryant, center, Kobe Bryant's widow, leaves a federal courthouse in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Kobe Bryant’s widow was awarded $16 million as part of a $31 million jury verdict Wednesday against Los Angeles County for deputies and firefighters sharing grisly photos of the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter and other victims killed in a 2020 helicopter crash. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Andrew Dalton

A federal jury has found that Los Angeles County must pay Kobe Bryant’s widow $16m (£13.6 million) for emotional distress caused by emergency service workers taking and sharing pictures of the NBA star’s body.

Bryant was travelling with 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others to a youth basketball game when the helicopter they were aboard crashed into hills in Calabasas west of Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.