the helicopter that crashed in fog and killed the former Los
Angeles Lakers star and their 13-year-old daughter last month.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in Los Angeles
Superior Court said the pilot was careless and negligent by flying
in cloudy conditions Jan. 26 and should have aborted the flight.
Pilot Ara Zobayan was among the nine people killed in the crash.
The lawsuit names Island Express Helicopters Inc. and also targets
Zobayan’s legal representative, listed only as “Doe 1†until a name
can be determined.
Vanessa Bryant’s 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.
The lawsuit was filed as a public memorial service for Kobe Bryant,
his daughter, and all the victims, including Zobayan, was being
held at the arena where Bryant played most of his career.
Calls to Island Express seeking comment were not answered and its
voicemail was full.
The company issued a statement 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 National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause
of the crash into a hillside in Calabasas on the outskirts of Los
Angeles County.
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