Vanessa Bryant Settles Lawsuit Against Helicopter Company Involved in Kobe Bryant Crash

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 22, 2017: Vanessa Laine Bryant and Kobe Bryant attend Animated Shorts curated by Whoopi Goldberg during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theatre — Photo by SharpShooter

Vanessa Bryant has settled her lawsuit against the company that owned and operated the helicopter that crashed in January 2020, killing Kobe Bryant, their 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others including the pilot.

Other families involved in the crash also joined Bryant in settling their claims, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday evening. The “attorneys for the families, the helicopter company and insurers filed a ‘joint notice of settlement and joint request to vacate discovery deadlines’ documents with the court on Tuesday,” the Times reported.

Vanessa filed suit against Island Express Holding Corp. and Island Express Helicopters last year. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

“The material terms of the settlement and releases are known to the settling parties and include that the terms of the settlement are confidential,” state documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

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The helicopter slammed into a Calabasas hillside on Jan. 26, 2020, killing everyone on board.

As previously reported, in February the National Transportation Safety Board concluded the probable cause of the crash was pilot error, adding pilot Ara Zobayan likely developed spacial disorientation — becoming disoriented while flying in heavy fog.

The lawsuit accused Zobayan of negligence, including not properly assessing and monitoring the weather that morning.

Since Kobe’s death, Vanessa has been staunchly defending her late husband’s legacy through lawsuits and taking on companies like Nike for releasing unauthorized ‘Mambacita’ shoes — the nickname given to Bryant’s daughter Gianna.