Vanessa, widow of late basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, on Tuesday reached a confidential settlement to end her ‘wrongful death’ lawsuit against the helicopter companies, which she earlier blamed for complicity in the death of her husband and daughter.
The late NBA star and his daughter died in the ill-fated helicopter accident that occurred near Los Angeles in January 2020.
TMZ reported that less than a month after the crash, an emotional Vanessa slapped a lawsuit on the firm that owned and operated the helicopter, as well as the estate of the late helicopter pilot.
A court document filed in a Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday states that “The material terms of the settlement and releases are known to the settling parties and include that the terms of the settlement are confidential.”
USA Today has disclosed that the consolidated lawsuit involved Island Express Helicopters, Island Express Holding Corporation and the estate of Ara Zobayan, the pilot who also died in the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded earlier this year that Zobayan’s poor decision-making was the likely cause of the crash.
In her suit, Vanessa Bryant had said Zobayan “failed to abort the flight when he knew of cloudy conditions” and failed to “keep a safe distance between the helicopter and natural obstacles,” among other alleged failures.
“As a direct and proximate result of the aforesaid negligence and carelessness on the part of defendant Zobayan, Kobe Bryant was killed,” the lawsuit states.
In the suit, she fingered the outfits for negligence and complicity in the death of her husband and beloved daughter, Gianna.
Vanessa accused the helicopter owner, Island Express Holding Corporation of failing to equip its helicopter with traffic avoidance and warning system.
She also stated that Island Express Helicopters, the helicopter’s operator, knew or should have known that they were prohibited from operating that helicopter under instrument flight rules, which are used in foggy or cloudy conditions like those on the morning of the crash.
The widow, alongside three other families who lost loved ones in the crash that killed nine, demanded damages in return for her losses.
