Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that operated the helicopter that crashed and killed the former NBA star, their teenage daughter, and everyone else on board.
The complaint, which was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court against Island Express Helicopters and Island Express Holding Corp. on Monday, alleges the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was “negligent” and failed “to use ordinary care in piloting the subject aircraft,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Defendant Island Express Helicopters’ breach of its duty and negligence caused the injuries and damages complained of herein and Plaintiffs’ deceased, Kobe Bryant, was killed as a direct result of the negligent conduct of Zobayan for which Defendant Island Express Helicopters is vicariously liable in all respects,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit also claims the pilot “failed to obtain proper weather data,” ABC7 reported. The fog that day was so extensive that the Los Angeles Police Department and the local sheriff’s department grounded their aircraft.
Zobayan was licensed to fly in low visibility, but the charter company he worked for was not certified to do so.
Bryant, 41; his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; and seven others were traveling in the helicopter to a youth basketball game when the helicopter suddenly crashed in Calabasas, California, killing all on board last month.
