Kobe Bryant Crash: Two Families Of Victims Reach Settlement With L.A. County

Kobe’s widow, Vanessa, remains in a legal battle with the county.

BYHayley Hynes
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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.

Kobe Bryant Crash: Two Families Of Victims Reach Settlement With L.A. County
David McNew/Getty Images

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]


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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.