Vanessa Bryant Gets Mixed Reviews For Donating Millions From Court Victory To Her Foundation
By MLC on August 26, 2022 at 3:00 PM EDT
Vanessa Bryant’s court victory is paying off big time.
The widow of Kobe Bryant was awarded $16 million in her lawsuit against Los Angeles County, its Sheriff Department, its Fire Department, and eight other officers.
She filed an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the County for taking and distributing graphic photos of the crash site where she lost her husband and daughter Gianna Bryant.
Vanessa Bryant Wins Big
The trial for the lawsuit began on August 10 and lasted for eleven days before the jury reached a verdict in Vanessa and her co-plaintiff, Chris Chester’s favor!
Chester lost his wife Sarah Chester, and their 13-year-old daughter Payton.
Now, it’s been revealed what Vanessa will do with her winnings.
She would receive $2.5 million for emotional distress suffered in the past alongside $7.5 million for future suffering, which would be paid by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Vanessa will also receive an additional $6 million from the Los Angeles County Fire Department — $1 million for past suffering and $5 million for future suffering.
What she will do with all the money has since been revealed.
Vanessa Will Donate Winnings To Mamba & Mambacita Foundation
The mother-of-four will donate the $16 million winnings back to the Mamba & Mambacita Foundation.
Her lawyer, Luis Li, told TMZ, "From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability, but our legal system does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline."
Li says Vanessa hopes this case will help to change the "callous behavior" of the sheriff and fire departments' first responders.
People on Twitter are divided about her decision to donate the winnings back to her own foundation.
Some praised her while others dragged her.
Fans Have Mixed Reactions Regarding Her Million-Dollar Donation
“What a class act,” one fan replied.
“Awesome, she deserved 160 million in my opinion,” another wrote.
Someone else responded, “Queen s**t #respect.”
On the other hand, many were dogging her for donating the money back to herself.
“Donating to sexual assault and women’s organizations would be more fitting. #KobeWasARapist,” one very upset person tweeted.
One person pointed out, “It’s a tax dodge. Because she controls the Foundation she still gets to spend the money any way she wants and can take a tax write off to boot.”
Another replied, “Smart. Great tax shelter.”
Following the verdict, Vanessa, who has majorly been on an Instagram hiatus during the trial — apart from Kobe’s posthumous 44th birthday tribute — broke her silence with a heartwarming post. The socialite shared a heart-melting photo of her late husband and daughter.
Vanessa was seen in the middle of Kobe and Gigi, hugging them, as the trio smiled brightly for the camera. In the accompanying caption, she wrote, “All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi! #Betonyourself #MambaDay 8•24•22 ???? #MambaMentality.”
The win comes at a very sentimental time for Vanessa as yesterday was Kobe’s posthumous 44th birthday and Wednesday, August 24, when the verdict was given, is #MambaDay.
The post was bombarded with comments from fans and colleagues who celebrated the good news. Kim Zolciak Biermann wrote, “The Ultimate Victory! So proud of you ❤️,” while many others dropped yellow and purple heart emojis.
