On January 26, a helicopter accident claimed the life of one of the greatest basketball and sports stars the world has known in recent decades. Kobe Bryant, 41, died in a short trip in Los Angeles, California, in a crash of the device against a hill in the Calabasas area. In that helicopter was also one of his four daughters, Gianna, 13, a basketball player who also lost her life in the accident. Along with them were also two friends of the little girl, her parents and a coach. All of them passed away.
After the initial terrible blow for the loss of part of his family, the athlete’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, now prepares her weapons for a millionaire lawsuit. Bryant appears to be demanding “millions of dollars” for the earnings her family has lost due to the untimely death of her husband.
“As a result of the deaths of Kobe and Gianna, Vanessa Bryant seeks economic damages, non-economic damages, punitive damages, prejudice interests and other relief measures that the Court considers fair and appropriate,” can be read in the lawsuit filed by the family lawyers and to which the US media has had access The Blast.
Vanessa Bryant had already started a legal proceeding a few months ago in which she seeks to clarify who were the culprits and what caused the death of her husband and daughter. Now, however, he is going one step further, making a bet on futures. “Although the total calculation of personal damages is to be determined, Kobe Bryant’s future losses would amount to hundreds of millions of dollars,” the document can read.
In February, the widow and relatives of the other deceased filed a lawsuit – the amount of which is unknown – in which they accused the helicopter company, Island Express, of reckless manslaughter. They assured that the pilot did not “take the required care to fly the aircraft” and that he was negligent for flying in atmospheric conditions as adverse as those of that day, and the company for allowing it. For its part, the company has tried to avoid blame and insists that flying by helicopter is “inherently dangerous” and someone like the pilot should have said so, but it is not the responsibility of the company.
According to the economic magazine Forbes, Kobe Bryant’s assets amounted to 600 million dollars, about 550 million euros. His salary with the Los Angeles Lakers was added to his endorsement deals, and as a result he earned about $ 62 million, especially thanks to his collaboration with the sports brand Nike, his most important and lucrative partner with whom he had worked since 2003. According to Forbes, he collaborated with more than 20 brands, including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz and Hublot. Beyond those earnings, Bryant knew how to invest in commercial and emerging companies, such as the sports drink BodyArmor (and a part belonged to Coca-Cola) and the companies Art of Sport and HouseCanary. He also had investment companies, and started a video game company called Epic Games, creator of the popular game Fortnite. It is estimated that his widow will receive an inheritance of around 200 million dollars (180 million euros).