The second anniversary of the tragic helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others is quickly approaching. According to TMZ, two families of those who passed in the incident have reached a settlement with L.A. County while two others (including the Bryant’s) remain locked in a legal battle.
A total of $2.5 million has been approved to be split between the families of Christine Mauser and Keri, John, and Alyssa Altobelli. The former’s husband, Matthew, will received $1.25 million, and both of the Altobelli’s remaining children will split the other $1.25.
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The L.A. Times broke the news of the settlement, also revealing that counsel for the county had suggested that settling with the families would be the best option, seeing as they still have lawsuits from Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, whose wife and child also perished in the crash. At this time, L.A. County has spent an estimated $1.29 million in legal fees.
Both of the ongoing cases could be headed for trial in the near future. A judge recently denied the county’s motion that was seeking psychiatric evaluations of both Vanessa and Chris, ruling that the request came “too late in the case.” L.A. County had previously argued that the evaluation would allow them to determine if their emotional distress was related to crash photos that were said to have been spread around by authorities.
Just yesterday, the widow penned an emotional message to her late husband on Instagram. “Always one step ahead. I’m so proud of everything you were able to accomplish. I wish you were here to celebrate. You deserve all the recognition for this. You continue being GREAT. Te amo per siempre,” she wrote, after BodyArmor, of which Bryant was a partial owner, was acquired.
See the sweet post below.
[Via]