Vanessa Bryant files wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express Holding

Source: Mike Coppola/VF19 / Getty

On the day that the Staples Center is packed with grief-stricken family, friends, former teammates, NBA executives, and more to celebrate the lives of Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, and seven others who lost their lives in last month’s helicopter accident, some news has broken about the fatal crash.

Vanessa Bryant has filed a lawsuit against the helicopter company who owned the vehicle Island Express Helicopters and Island Express Holding Corp. According to an ESPN report, the 27-count suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages with claims that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was “careless and negligent” in taking flight that fateful day. The suit lays out eight different ways in which Zobayan was negligent including failing to properly assess the weather, flying into conditions he wasn’t cleared for and failing to control the helicopter.

The NSTB is still investigating exactly what happened that caused the crash, but the lawsuit was filed today just prior to the public memorial.