ReportWire

Tag: Vanessa Bryant

  • Taylor Swift hugs Kobe Bryant’s daughter Bianka during Eras Tour concert

    Taylor Swift hugs Kobe Bryant’s daughter Bianka during Eras Tour concert

    [ad_1]

    Taylor Swift fans flocked to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles this week — and for Kobe Bryant’s family, it was an extra special occasion. Vanessa Bryant, the widow of the NBA legend, took their daughters to the concert and honored her late husband and daughter, Gigi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020.

    Vanessa donned a custom denim jacket with an image of her husband and Swift together on stage. The image was taken in 2015, when Bryant presented Swift with a banner for setting the record for most sold out shows at the Staples Center. Bryant was very familiar with the Staples Center, now the Cyrpto.com Arena, since he played all of his home games on the court while starring of the Los Angeles Lakers.

    Vanessa’s jacket also had an emblem with embroidered Swift lyrics: “Say you’ll remember me,” from the song “Wildest Dreams.” 

    screen-shot-2023-08-04-at-10-44-25-am.png
    Vanessa Bryant wore customized jacket honoring her late husband, Kobe Bryant. It featured a photo of the NBA star with Taylor Swift take in 2015.

    Vanessa Bryant


    She also honored her family members by wearing beaded bracelets with their names. Swift fans often wear homemade bracelets to her shows and swap them with fellow concertgoers. 

    Vanessa and Kobe shared three other daughters together – Natalia, now 20, Bianka, now 6, and Capri, now 3. At the concert, Bianka got a surprise most Swifties only dream of – Swift went over to the edge of the stage and hugged her.

    Vanessa posted an image of the embrace and other shots from the concert on Instagram writing: “We love you @taylorswift.” 

    screen-shot-2023-08-04-at-10-30-01-am.png
    Bianka Bryant, 6, got a hug from Taylor Swift during her Los Angeles concert this week.

    Vanessa Bryant


    It appears the Bryant girls are longtime fans of Swift. Vanessa also posted a video of Natalia singing a Taylor Swift song with Gigi, who died at age 13. 

    Kobe and Gigi were traveling to a basketball game via helicopter with seven others when it crashed into the hills of Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020. Everyone onboard was killed.

    After the crash, a memorial at the Staples Center was held in honor of the basketball star and those killed. During an emotional speech, Vanessa remembered Gigi as an “amazingly sweet and gentle soul” and Kobe as “romantic.”

    “Babe, you take care of our Gigi,” she said to close her speech.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Vanessa Bryant and family settle claims over Kobe Bryant crash site photos for $28.5 million

    Vanessa Bryant and family settle claims over Kobe Bryant crash site photos for $28.5 million

    [ad_1]

    The family of the late Kobe Bryant has agreed to a $28.5 million settlement with Los Angeles County to resolve the remaining claims in a lawsuit over deputies and firefighters sharing grisly photos of the NBA superstar, his 13-year-old daughter and others killed in a 2020 helicopter crash, attorneys and court filings said Tuesday.

    The figure includes a newly agreed upon payment from the county of $13.5 million along with the $15 million a federal jury awarded Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, at a trial in August.

    Kobe Bryant Crash Photos
    Vanessa Bryant, center, Kobe Bryant’s widow, leaves a federal courthouse with her daughter, Natalia, left, and soccer player Sydney Leroux in Los Angeles on Aug. 24, 2022.

    Jae C. Hong / AP


    While the initial $15 million was awarded to only Vanessa Bryant, the rest of the $28.85 million will be distributed to her three surviving daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri, CBS Los Angeles explained.

    The agreement resolves any future claims by them, related issues pending in state court, and other costs. A proposed settlement order, which a judge must approve, was filed Tuesday in federal court.


    Vanessa Bryant, LA County settle remaining legal claims

    01:11

    “Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Bryant’s attorney Luis Li said in a statement. “She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice.”

    Mira Hashmall, the attorney representing L.A. County, called the statement “fair and reasonable” adding, “We hope Ms. Bryant and her children continue to heal from their loss.”

    Kobe Bryant, the former Lakers star, five-time NBA champion and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was traveling with 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 Jan. 26, 2020.

    FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A fan poses by a mural of late Kobe Bryant, who perished one year ago alongside his daughter and seven others when their helicopter crashed into a hillside, in Los Angeles
    A fan poses in January 2021 by a mural of late Kobe Bryant, who perished a year before along with his daughter and seven others when their helicopter crashed into a hillside in Los Angeles.

    Mario Anzuoni / REUTERS


    Deputies and firefighters responding to the crash scene shot phone photos of the bodies and the wreckage, which Hashmall argued at trial were an essential part of assessing the situation.

    But the pictures were shared, mostly among employees of the county sheriff’s and fire departments, including some who were playing video games and attending an awards banquet. They were also seen by some of their spouses and in one case by a bartender at a bar where a deputy was drinking.

    Li told jurors that the close-up photos had no official or investigative purpose and were mere “visual gossip” shared out of a gruesome curiosity.

    Hashmall argued that the sheriff acted swiftly and appropriately when he ordered the photos deleted.

    Vanessa Bryant tearfully testified during the 11-day trial that news of the photos compounded her still-raw grief a month after losing her husband and daughter and that she still has panic attacks at the thought that they might still be out there and her daughters might someday see them online.

    The verdict in her favor was erroneously read as $16 million in court, but was later amended to $15 million.

    Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the crash itself.

    Chris Chester, Vanessa Bryant’s co-plaintiff at the trial, was also awarded $15 million at trial, and reached his own settlement with the county in September for nearly $5 million more.

    His wife and daughter were among the other crash victims, CBS L.A. says.

    [ad_2]

    Source link