Kobe Bryant’s Wife Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Helicopter Operator

Jack Phillips
By Jack Phillips
February 24, 2020US News
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Kobe Bryant’s Wife Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Helicopter Operator
Vanessa Bryant (L) and Kobe Bryant attend the 2018 Baby2Baby Gala Presented by Paul Mitchell at 3LABS in Culver City, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2018. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Baby2Baby)

Attorneys for the wife of former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that operated the helicopter that crashed last month, killing her husband, her daughter, and seven others.

A complaint was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court against Island Express Helicopters and Island Express Holding Corp., accusing the pilot of failing to “use ordinary care in piloting the subject aircraft.” The pilot, Ara Zobayan, also died in the crash.

“Defendant Island Express Helicopters’ breach of its duty and negligence caused the injuries and damages complained of herein and Plaintiffs’ deceased, Kobe Bryant, was killed as a direct result of the negligent conduct of Zobayan for which Defendant Island Express Helicopters is vicariously liable in all respects,” the lawsuit said, reported KTLA.

The lawsuit alleged Island Express was only allowed to fly under certain flight rules, saying that weather conditions at the time of the crash weren’t suitable for flight, TMZ reported. It also alleged that the pilot was flying 180 mph in the fog in a decline before it crashed into the side of a hill in Calabasas, California.

Investigators work the scene of a helicopter crash
Investigators work the scene of a helicopter crash that killed former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and several others in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2020.(Mark J. Terrill/AP)

Zobayan, it noted, was penalized in 2015 for violating visual flight rules.

Zobayan took responsibility for the error and was counseled by a Federal Aviation Administration investigator following the incident, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing records from the agency.

Bryant is asking for punitive damages, although the exact amount was not disclosed in the suit.

Island Express has not issued a response to the lawsuit.

Kobe and Gigi Bryant were both honored at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday.

From The Epoch Times

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