Kobe Bryant's widow has won her case over the photos from the site of the helicopter crash that killed the basketball star and their daughter in 2020 I'm Ben Thomas with the verdict A federal jury awarded Vanessa Bryant $16 million for emotional distress as part of a $31 million verdict against Los Angeles County after deputies and firefighters shared grisly photos of the NBA star his 13 year old daughter Gianna and other victims taken at the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash jurors agreed with Brian and her attorneys that her privacy was invaded In tearful testimony Vanessa Bryant said news of the photos compounded her grief county attorneys argued they were necessary to assess the scene but acknowledged while never made public they should not have been shared with everyone who saw them Kobe Bryant would have turned 44 this week I'm Ben Thomas