Kobe Bryant’s tragic death on Jan. 26 shook the world, but it also put his younger daughter’s financial future at risk. Capri Bryant is reportedly not included in the trust fund that Kobe set up for his family in 2003, according to TMZ Sports. His widow, Vanessa Bryant, 37, is asked a judge to amend the documents so Capri could be included. Kobe’s death makes amending the trust a little bit difficult, but not impossible, according to Arminé Bazikyan of the Bazikyan Law Group. “There is a strong chance the judge will grant the petition Vanessa has filed,” the legal expert, a certified specialist in estate planning, probate and trust administration, tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY.
“As an ‘omitted child,’ Capri has a right to receive a share of the estate that would have been given to her ‘intestate,'” Arminé tells HollywoodLife, “meaning had Kobe died without a trust or will in place. This section of the law (Probate Code 21620) is written exactly for this scenario in mind. Parent does a trust and will. New child is born. Parent dies without having a chance to update his documents to include child.” Arminé says that Vanessa will have to “prove Kobe’s intent by showing that each time they had a child, they amended [the trust.]” Since Kobe and Vanessa did that for their daughters Natalia, Bianka, and the late Gigi, there’s precedent on Vanessa’s side. “Plus, the court will take into consideration her declarations of conversations they may have had privately.”
So, it’s likely that after some legal arguments, the 9-month old Capri will wind up included in the trust. Kobe set up the fund so that Vanessa, Natalia, and Bianka can draw from the principle and income in the trust during Vanessa’s lifetime, according to TMZ Sports. After Vanessa passes on, their children get the remainder. The trust has reportedly been amended several times, according to TMZ Sports, with the most recent change coming in 2017. Supposedly, every time that the Bryants added a new member of the family, the trust was changed to reflect that – save for baby Capri.
Over a month after losing her husband and daughter, 13-year-old Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, in a helicopter crash, Vanessa posted how she was “missing” both of them. She shared a tribute along with the lyrics to Beyonce’s “XO,” including the line, “Your love is bright as ever.“
