Vanessa Bryant is in the news again, as reports have it that she has filed a legal documents in her wrongful death lawsuit against the helicopter company who owned the aircraft, to establish she is the successor of Kobe’ estate and that of her daughter, Gigi, the Blast reports.
According to the report obtained from the Blast, the legal documents filed by Vanessa Bryant claiming ‘successor interest’ to Kobe’s estate, she declared that to she is the proper person who has the legal ability to sue the company for both Kobe and Gigi.
She tells the court, in her declaration, that no other cases have been filed to administer Kobe’s estate and she is asserting her rights as successor in interest.
At this point, Vanessa has not filed a probate case to establish herself as administer of Kobe’s estate, but as you can imagine Kobe’s net worth, and web of business and wealth was so large it may take months before it is worked out, the report added.
“I, Vanessa Bryant (hereinafter, the “declarant”), hereby declare: My husband, Kobe Bean Bryant, and my natural daughter, GB, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2020. No proceeding is now pending in California for the administration of the decedents’ estate,” the declaration begins.
She continues, “I am a plaintiff in Vanessa Bryant, et al. v. Island &press Helicopters, Inc., et al. (hereinafter, the “action” or “proceeding”), a lawsuit filed in LA County Superior Court on February 24, 2020. In that action, I assert certain claims as successor in interest to Kobe Bryant and GB.”
Vanessa’s filing includes her telling the court she has the right under the law to sue on behalf of Kobe and Gigi, saying, “The affiant or declarant is the decedents’ successor in interest and succeeds to the decedents’ interest in the action or proceeding. No other person has a superior right to commence the action or proceeding or to be substituted for the decedents in the proceeding.”
Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit against the company that owned the helicopter Kobe was riding in when it violently crashed in Los Angeles. In the suit, she claims the pilot should have NEVER taken the risk of flying in such bad weather conditions.
Bryant is suing the company, Island Express, saying this specific helicopter was only able to fly under conditions where the pilot is able to navigate his surroundings visually. She says the helicopter was NOT equipped with technology that would allow it to navigate with no visibility such as heavy fog.
Vanessa is also blaming the pilot (Ara Zobayan) for “failing to properly assess the weather prior to takeoff, failed to obtain proper weather date prior to the subject flight, failed to abort the flight when he knew of the cloudy conditions, improperly flew the helicopter into instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions, failed to maintain proper control of the helicopter in flight, failed to properly avoid natural obstacles in the flight path and failed to properly and safely operate the helicopter resulting in a crash.”
Mrs. Bryant points out that the pilot acted ‘reckless’ and the company was aware he had a prior violation for similar behavior. She claims the company had “knowledge of his prior violation” and employed him anyways with a “conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others.”