Kobe Bryant Crash: Altobelli and Mauser Families File Wrongful Death Lawsuits

(Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)

The families of four victims in the tragic helicopter crash which also claimed the life of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express, the company that owned the helicopter.

According to court documents obtained by ET, Alexis Altobelli -- the surviving daughter of John and Keri Altobelli and the sister of Alyssa Altobelli, whose lives were claimed in the accident -- is seeking seeking wrongful death and survival damages, funeral and burial expenses, and "all other damages by law."

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Alexis' suit claims that Island Express was "negligent and careless, in regards to owning, leasing, managing, maintaining, controlling, entrusting, chartering, and operating" the helicopter in question, and claims that their negligence was "a substantial factor in causing the deaths" of those on board.

Additionally, the husband and three children of Christina Mauser, another victim in the tragic incident, filed a similar wrongful death lawsuit claiming that "careless, negligent, and unlawful acts and/or omissions" by Island Express led to the fatal accident.

The filings were both submitted on April 19. Both families have requested trial by jury.

Sarah Chester and her 13-year-old daughter Payton were also among those killed in the crash, along with the pilot, Ara Zobayan.

These latest lawsuits come just over a month after Vanessa Bryant filed her own wrongful death suit against the company.

According to the 72-page lawsuit, Vanessa claims Zobayan "had a duty to use that degree of care that an ordinarily careful and prudent pilot would use under the same or similar circumstances" and alleges that Island Express had "advance knowledge of the unfitness" of Zobayan due to a previous violation in 2015. 

In response to Vanessa's lawsuit, a company spokesman for Island Express Helicopters previously told ET, "This was a tragic accident. We will have no comment on the pending litigation."

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