Vanessa Bryant settles wrongful death lawsuit against helicopter company involved in crash

Vanessa Bryant has settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the helicopter company involved in the crash which claimed the lives of her husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter.

The basketball icon and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among the nine people killed on 26 January, 2020 when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California in foggy conditions.

Following the tragedy, Vanessa and other relatives of the passengers killed in the crash filed a lawsuit against Island Express Holding Corp. and Island Express Helicopters, claiming that the company and the pilot, Ara Zobayan, who also died in the crash, should have made the decision not to fly given the weather conditions.

Now, according to legal documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Vanessa and the other plaintiffs have reached a confidential settlement with Island Express, with their lawyers filing a "joint notice of settlement and joint request to vacate discovery deadlines" in court on Tuesday.

A judge needs to sign off on the settlement, but this is usually just a formality.

"Plaintiffs and Defendants jointly report that they have agreed to settle their claims in the above-entitled action," the documents state.

While the lawsuit has now been settled, Vanessa also has another case which is ongoing - she is suing the County of Los Angeles over sheriff deputies taking pictures from the crash scene.