Vanessa Bryant Settles Lawsuit Against Helicopter Company

CALABASAS, CA —Vanessa Bryant has reached a confidential settlement to end the lawsuit against the company that owned and operated the helicopter that crashed last year, killing Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

The families of the six other crash victims and the late pilot joined Bryant in the lawsuit, accusing Island Express Helicopters of negligence and causing wrongful death.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, according to court documents filed Tuesday in a Los Angeles federal court. Attorneys for Bryant have declined to comment.

In February, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that pilot Ara Zobayan’s compromised decision-making likely caused the crash. The NTSB said that Zobayan became disoriented in heavy fog, and believed that he was flying above the fog when he was actually quickly descending. The board also said that Island Express was not approved to fly in such foggy weather.

In her suit, Bryant claimed that Island Express either knew or should have known that they were prohibited from flying. The suit also accuses Zobayan of failing to stop the flight due to the fog, and failing to keep a safe distance between the helicopter and natural obstacles.

Bryant also accused the helicopter company of failing to equip its helicopter with necessary traffic avoidance and warning system, and said that the company should have known they were prohibited from flying under such foggy conditions.

Island Express has filed its own suit against the federal government, claiming the crash was due to failures by air traffic controllers. That litigation is still pending.

Bryant is currently involved in another lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, alleging that several deputies improperly shared “gratuitous” photos of her husband and daughter at the crash scene. The county has disputed these claims and is fighting back.

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