Vanessa Bryant files a wrongful death suit against the helicopter operator involved in the crash that killed her husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant.
What We Know:
- Pilot Ara Zobayan was amongst the nine people killed in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA on January 26.
- The lawsuit was filed and announced as the public memorial service for Kobe, Gianna and all of the other victims including Zobayan.
- The company being sued is Island Express Helicopters Inc. It also targets Zobayan’s legal representative who is listed as “Doe 1” until the name is released.
- Vanessa is asking for punitive damages, claiming the pilot and Island Express were reckless. The damages could be untold millions.
- Vanessa’s lawsuit lists that Zobayan was negligent in eight different ways, including failing to properly monitor and assess the weather, failing to obtain proper weather data before the flight, failing to abort the flight prior to being aware of the cloudy conditions, failing to maintain control of the helicopter, and failing to avoid “natural obstacles” in the flight path.
- Island Express engaged in unnecessary, risky means of transportation under the circumstances because they were only allowed to fly under visual flight rules, and the conditions for that day did not suit for flying. The lawsuit advises that that the pilot was going 180 miles per hour in heavy fog in a steep decline.
- The lawsuit proceeded to ask for damages for “pre-impact” terror-damages, to get a glimpse of the emotional trauma Kobe and GiGi suffered as the pilot struggled to get out of the clouds.
- Ara Zobayan was also issued a violation for a similar act in 2015. He was violating the visual flight rule minimums by flying into the airspace of reduced visibility.
The purpose of the suit is to seek damage for the loss of love, service, support, income, and expectations of the future that the family lost.
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