Kobe Bryant's settled trademark lawsuit, death were not related | Fact check

Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY
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The claim: Kobe Bryant died days before going to court against drug makers over opioid-laced diet pills

An April 1 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows screenshots of news headlines about a lawsuit between basketball star Kobe Bryant and pharmaceutical companies, then shows an interview about his death.

The interviewee, who speaks to the hosts over the phone, says Kobe was set to go to court against those companies days before his death.

“He was suing them not because of his nickname, he was suing them because he found out, brothers, that these three – pharmaceutical companies … was lacing their diet pills with opioid substances. Kobe was going to expose this,” the interviewee says.

The video has been shared over 7,000 times since April, and social media users have continued to interact with the post as it spreads.

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Our rating: False

Bryant's lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company was about a drug name that matched his nickname, not opioid-laced diet pills. And the suit was settled weeks before he died.

Bryant, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals’ legal battle over trademark

According to the Atlanta Black Star, Bryant sued a company called Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals in 2017 over the name of their diet pills called “Black Mamba HYPERRUSH.” It was similar to Bryant’s nickname, "Black Mamba." Both were trying to trademark the name.

Bryant was not suing them over supposed opioid contamination. The case went on until Jan. 2, 2020, when he filed a motion to suspend proceedings due to settlement negotiations, according to court documents. The case was then terminated, records show.

“The parties are actively engaged in negotiations for the settlement of this matter. Kobe, Inc. requests that this proceeding be suspended for 30 days to allow the parties to continue their settlement efforts,” the document reads.

Fact check: LINK GOES HERE

On Jan. 26, 2020, Bryant, his daughter Gigi and seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash on their way to a youth basketball game. The National Transportation Safety Board reported the pilot made several poor decisions that likely caused the crash, including flying into thick clouds that disoriented him.

There is no evidence the helicopter crash and Bryant’s lawsuit are related.

The social media user who shared the video did not provide evidence to support the claims in the video when contacted by USA TODAY.

LeadStories and PolitiFact have also fact-checked similar claims.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kobe Bryant's death unrelated to lawsuit over nickname | Fact check