The LA County must pay Vanessa Bryant millions of dollars in compensation for emotional distress over pictures that were taken of her husband and teenage daughter's bodies after they died in a helicopter crash, a US jury has found.
Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people died en route to a basketball tournament in January 2020 in the crash, which was blamed on pilot error.
LA deputies and firefighters who were among the first on the scene took pictures of the victims' remains and showed them to people not connected to the investigation, which Mrs Bryant says compounded her still-raw grief and caused ongoing distress.
Here's what we know about the conclusion of the case.
What was the LA County sued for?
Ms Bryant said the photographing and sharing of images of her husband and child's bodies was an invasion of privacy and caused significant emotional distress.
The pictures, captured by first responders, were shared mostly between employees of the LA County sheriff and fire departments — including in non-work-related settings.
They were also seen by some of their spouses and in one case by a bartender at a bar where a deputy was drinking.
"I live in fear every day of being on social media and these popping up," Mrs Bryant testified in court.
"I live in fear of my daughters being on social media and these popping up."
A lawyer for the county acknowledged that the pictures shouldn't have been shared, but told jurors that the fact that the pictures have not gone public showed due diligence within the departments.
What happened in court?
The trial ran for several days and the jury deliberated for about four hours before reaching the verdict.
An attorney for the county argued throughout the trial that the photos were taken as standard practice but Ms Bryant's lawyer, Luis Li, told jurors that the close-up photos had no official or investigative purpose and were used as "visual gossip", shared out of a gruesome curiosity.
Ms Bryant cried in court as the jury unanimously agreed that the photos invaded her privacy and caused emotional distress.
The county has been ordered to pay $US16 million (more than $23 million).
Chris Chester, whose wife Sarah and 13-year-old daughter Payton were among those killed in the crash, was also a plaintiff in the case.
He was awarded $US15 million, bringing the total jury award to $US31 million.
His lawyer, Jerry Jackson, said after the verdict that they were "grateful for a jury and a judge who gave us a fair trial."
Has the Bryant family responded?
Ms Bryant shared a picture of herself, Kobe and Gianna on Instagram soon after the verdict, with the caption: "All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi!"
She didn't speak to reporters as she left the court, still visibly emotional.
The decision came on August 24 in the US, known as "Mamba Day" — the day after what would have been Kobe Bryant's 44th birthday, and a nod to his basketball jersey numbers during his time with the Lakers, 24 and 8.
What about the officers who took the photos?
LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in the weeks after the crash that he had ordered eight of his deputies to delete graphic photos of the site — but didn't launch a formal inquiry into their conduct.
One deputy testified in court that he was instructed to photograph the scene on his personal mobile phone and sent them to supervisors, but said he deleted them when he got home that night.
"I know I didn't do anything wrong," he told the court.
Laws were passed in California in the months after the crash making it illegal for first responders to photograph a body for any reason "other than an official law enforcement purpose or a genuine public interest".
ABC/wires
