Vanessa Bryant sues helicopter company for deaths

[ArbitraryWater]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...company-deaths

The widow of Kobe Bryant has sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in fog and killed her husband and their 13-year-old daughter last month.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in Los Angeles says the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions on Jan. 26 and should have aborted the flight. Zobayan was among the nine people killed in the crash.

The 27-count complaint against Island Express Helicopters and Island Express Holding Corp. seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. The company issued a statement on Jan. 30 on its website saying the shock of the crash had prompted it to suspend service until it was appropriate for staff and customers.

The lawsuit asserts that Zobayan was negligent in eight different ways, including failing to properly assess the weather, flying into conditions he wasn't cleared for and failing to control the helicopter.

yikes

[taabhimself]

why did they not link to the complaint? terrible journalism.

[coin24]

As she should..

[FreezingTsmoove]

There are other families involved in the crash who deserve compensation. I dont see a problem with this

[FireDavidKahn]

As she should..

If she can prove that the pilot shouldn't have been flying or there was inadequate training, then absolutely. But if the company had properly trained the pilot and there were no "red flags" then I don't know how the company would be at fault.

I get the need to want to blame someone but IF the company did everything to the T and the pilot just didn't follow protocol then is that the fault of the company?

*I have not heard nor done any digging into this to know if anything is known yet.

[Smook A.]

I don’t like how she’s suing the pilot’s estate too. That’s just unnecessary

[sundog67]

It's worth mentioning that the pilot was disciplined in 2015 for an FAA violation related to flying in reduced visibility.

No judgement from me, however repeat offenders usually don't get the benefit of doubt...

EDIT: FWIW, these types of lawsuits are also the only way new rules get implemented by something like the FAA. Without legal and judicial precedence, there's little reason for that the FAA change its policies on IFR, ground detection instruments, etc. NTSB has been lobbying for many of these changes for the better part of a decade. Without that, there's little reason for a company like Island Express to outfit their vehicles with new expensive equipment.

[ElPigto]

I don’t like how she’s suing the pilot’s estate too. That’s just unnecessary

Lawyers man, they sue everything and everyone. Doubt she called the lawyers and said, go after that man's estate.

[Kblaze8855]

How shook is a company like this to go to jury trial against the widow of Kobe in a court in California right now? Whatever she wants...its gonna get settled. Im sure it will somehow end up in the hands of the other peoples family.

[FireDavidKahn]

How shook is a company like this to go to jury trial against the widow of Kobe in a court in California right now? Whatever she wants...its gonna get settled. Im sure it will somehow end up in the hands of the other peoples family.

Ya, 0 chance they could find an impartial jury.

[taabhimself]

I don’t like how she’s suing the pilot’s estate too. That’s just unnecessary

that's just how it works. you can't sue a dead person, only their estate. if he has liability then his estate foots the bill. it's fair, think about a drunk driver who gets into a wreck and kills himself and another driver. shouldn't the estate of the not-at-fault party be able to recover?

also before the actual assets of the pilot's estate are touched any CGL policies that respond will have to be exhausted. as far as i know he was an independent contractor so there are likely at least two (his and the company's). given the nature of the work they probably have fat liability limits, too.

[taabhimself]

There are other families involved in the crash who deserve compensation. I dont see a problem with this

believe me, the estates of the other passengers will be intervening in this lawsuit if they didn't sue as co-plaintiffs.

[RoseCity07]

She needs to do this to force some saftey standards in that industry. I hope she gives the money to the other families.

[taabhimself]

If she can prove that the pilot shouldn't have been flying or there was inadequate training, then absolutely. But if the company had properly trained the pilot and there were no "red flags" then I don't know how the company would be at fault.

I get the need to want to blame someone but IF the company did everything to the T and the pilot just didn't follow protocol then is that the fault of the company?

*I have not heard nor done any digging into this to know if anything is known yet.

that will be hashed out in litigation. though there are vicarious liability issues to deal with too (liability imputed to an employer for the wrongful acts of an employee). though i believe i read the pilot was an independent contractor and principals aren't typically liable for torts of independent contractors absent a few exceptions (one being inherently dangerous activities which while unlikely could possibly be applicable, would have to dig into cali case law). at any rate, it remains to be seen who will ultimately foot the bill here. likely a handful of insurance companies.

[LostCause]

As she should. People speaking out about this are absolute morons who clearly don't understand this matter

How shook is a company like this to go to jury trial against the widow of Kobe in a court in California right now? Whatever she wants...its gonna get settled. Im sure it will somehow end up in the hands of the other peoples family.

It won't be too bad for them. The company itself will just go down then rebrand and resurface. They won't have too many assets tied into the company itself and it seems like they've already started distancing it