Kobe Bryant’s widow to settle lawsuit over deadly crash

Vanessa Bryant reaches settlementagreement in wrongful death lawsuit.According to court documents obtainedby 'Entertainment Tonight,' Vanessa Bryanthas reached a confidential settlementagreement with Island Express Helicopters.Her husband, Kobe Bryant, and their daughter, Gianna,were killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.The families of the six other passengers who died in the crash were also involved in the lawsuit. .Plaintiffs and Defendants jointlyreport that they have agreed to settle theirclaims in the above-entitled action, Court Documents, via 'Entertainment Tonight'.The terms of the settlement are confidential andhave not yet been formally approved by the court. .Vanessa initially filed the lawsuit in March 2020. .Bryant sought monetary damages from Island ExpressHelicopters and from the estate of the helicopter’s pilot,Ara Zobayan, who was also killed in the crash.She claims the family lost “hundreds of millions of dollars” due to their deaths.As a result of Kobe Bryant’s and GB’s deaths,Vanessa Bryant seeks economic damages,non-economic damages, prejudgment interest,punitive damages, and other relief as theCourt deems just and proper, Court Documents, via 'Entertainment Tonight'

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s widow has agreed to settle a lawsuit against the pilot and owners of the helicopter that crashed last year, killing the NBA star, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others.

Vanessa Bryant, her children and relatives of other victims filed a settlement agreement notice Tuesday with a federal judge in Los Angeles but terms of the confidential deal weren’t disclosed.

If approved by the court, the settlement — first announced by KABC-TV — would end a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit filed against the estate of the pilot and the owner and operator of the helicopter that crashed into a hillside on Jan. 26, 2020.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six other passengers were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County. The helicopter encountered thick fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.

Pilot Ara Zobayan climbed sharply and had nearly broken through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter banked abruptly and plunged into the Calabasas hills below, killing all nine aboard instantly before flames engulfed the wreckage.

The others killed were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach his daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Alyssa and Payton were Gianna’s teammates.

The National Transportation Safety Board released a report in February that blamed pilot error for the crash. The NTSB said a series of poor decisions led Zobayan to fly blindly into a wall of clouds where he became so disoriented he thought he was climbing when the craft was plunging.

The agency also faulted Island Express Helicopters Inc. for inadequate review and oversight of safety matters.

The settlement agreement would end legal action against Zobayan’s estate, Island Express Helicopters Inc. and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp. The suit alleged the companies didn’t properly train or supervise Zobayan and that the pilot was careless and negligent to fly in fog and should have aborted the flight.

Island Express Helicopters has denied responsibility and said the crash was “an act of God” it couldn’t control. It countersued two Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers, saying the crash was caused by their “series of erroneous acts and/or omissions.”

The settlement agreement wouldn’t include the countersuit against the federal government.