The fact that the dead man got any money from this is ludicrous, but the lawsuit has been going on for over 5 years now now.  It all started in 2005 when Kobe was going for a loose ball and fell into the stands during a Memphis Grizzles game.

I am sure Kobe just wanted them to go away, but it is one of the weirdest lawsuits you will every see.

“I recall a fast-paced incident seeing him come to me, running into me and then forearming me,” Geeslin said in a 2008 deposition. “He intentionally forearmed me in the chest. He did not apologize. He walked away and pushed – he kind of pushed his arm toward me and glared at me and walked away.”

He surmised that Bryant was angry that his team was losing or that the referee called no foul on the Grizzlies.

And, with that, he filed a lawsuit.

Even though the fan dies in 2008, his family continues on with the lawsuit, trying to get in Kobe’s pockets.

The suit, which asked for unspecified damages exceeding $75,000, was dismissed in 2010 by U.S. Dist. Judge S. Thomas Anderson, who said a spectator assumes a risk when attending a game and that the contact Bryant made with Geeslin was not offensive.

However, again, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit decided to bring back the charges on Bryant for assault and battery back in December. With today being jury selection day — yay!! — the two sides decided to settle out of court because, well, what’s some $75,000 to Kobe Bryant?

The appeals court should be ashamed of themselves.

Just a mockery of our justice system that a dead man is getting money for a player going after a loose ball. Only in America.