Kobe Bryant's Wife Takes Helicopter Company To Court Over Crash

After legendary basketball player, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant lost their lives along with seven others in a helicopter crash in January, wife Venessa Bryant has now filed wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, reports LA Times. The attorneys of Bryant have filed the lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters and Fillmore-based Island Express Holding Corp. for failing to ensure safe operation of the aircraft.

The 72-page petition claims that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, who also died in the crash, failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff and obtain proper weather data. It also alleged that the pilot was unsuccessful in aborting the flight when he knew of the cloudy conditions, failing to properly maintain control of the helicopter in flight and avoid natural obstacles in the flight path resulting in a crash among other accusations, as per reports.

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“Defendant Island Express Helicopters authorized, directed and/or permitted a flight with full knowledge that the subject helicopter was flying into unsafe weather conditions,” the lawsuit says.

The petition seeks compensatory and punitive damages however, no amount has been specified in the lawsuit.

Bryant, along with his daughter and a few other associates, was on his way to a youth basketball game at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California on January 26 when the helicopter he was travelling in crashed into a hillside near Los Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street amid dense fog. The helicopter company stopped operations indefinitely after the crash.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Venessa organized an official memorial for her husband and daughter in Staples corner in Downtown, Los Angeles. It was attended by thousands of people including stalwarts from the Hollywood and sports industry. Legendary singer, Beyonce also performed at the memorial.

“Defendant Island Express Helicopters authorized, directed and/or permitted a flight with full knowledge that the subject helicopter was flying into unsafe weather conditions,” the lawsuit says.

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Bryant was 41 and his daughter 13 when they were met with an untimely death. In his two-decades-long career as a basketball player, the Los Angeles Lakers player won five National Basketball Association (NBA) championships. He was accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old hotel employee back in 2003 when he was also arrested in the case.

On June 30, Kobe checked into a hotel in The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, a hotel in Edwards, Colorado prior to his surgery slated for July 2. The female hotel employee accused Kobe of raping her in his hotel room on July 1. While the woman filed the police complaint and Kobe admitted to the sexual encounter but he denied that it was non-consensual. The case was dropped when the accuser did not testify in the court. She later filed another case against him; however, he settled it out of the court. The settlement involved him apologizing to the woman, the public and her family. But he denied the allegations.

Picture credit-Heavy.com