LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Attorneys for Vanessa Bryant and Los Angeles County met behind closed doors but were unable to settle her lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages for the emotional distress she claims suffering after discovering that graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed her NBA legend husband, their 13-year-old daughter and seven others were allegedly shared by sheriff's and fire department personnel, according to court papers obtained Friday.The private mediation session took place in June before retired Superior Court Judge Louis M.
Meisinger. Lead trial counsel attended, and representatives of each party with authority to settle the case participated. The parties were unable to reach a resolution, according to a status report filed late Thursday in Los Angeles federal court.With trial looming, attorneys have submitted hundreds of pages of declarations, motions, proposed jury instructions and verdict forms in the past day.
Many of the matters are expected to be addressed at a hearing before U.S. District Judge John Walter scheduled for Feb. 11.Although trial was set to begin on Feb.
22, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California this week suspended jury trials through the end of next month due to the spread of Omicron, the new virus variant that causes COVID-19, within the region's federal courthouses.Walter himself mentioned during a recent Zoom hearing in an unrelated case that the downtown Los Angeles courthouse has been "devastated" by the virus and operations were being handled by a skeleton crew.On Jan.