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Kobe Bryant was negligent and knew the risks of flying in the helicopter that crashed and killed him, his teenage daughter and seven other people, the pilot's brother has reportedly claimed.

The basketball star and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in the crash in Calabasas, California, in January, along with pilot Ara George Zobayan and six other passengers.

Bryant's widow Vanessa Bryant has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters Inc, which operated the aircraft, and its owner Island Express Holding Corp.

She is also suing the estate of Mr Zobayan after accusing him of failing to use "ordinary care in piloting" and negligence, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In response to the lawsuit, documents filed at Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of the pilot's brother Berge Zobayan claim that Bryant knew of the risks of flying in the helicopter but chose to anyway, NBC News reported.

"This negligence was a substantial factor in causing their purported damages, for which this answering defendant bears no responsibility," the documents are reported to have said.

Island Express has not yet filed an answer to the lawsuit, according to the LA Times.

Last month family members of four passengers killed alongside Bryant and his daughter also sued the owners of the helicopter.

While Mrs Bryant's lawsuit - filed in February - names Mr Zobayan and his representative as defendants, the two further wrongful death lawsuits do not.

One was submitted by two children of John Altobelli, an Orange Coast College baseball coach who died alongside his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa, who played basketball with Gianna.

The other was filed by the husband and three children of Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach the girls' basketball team and died in the crash.

In her lawsuit, Mrs Bryant claims the pilot was careless and negligent to fly given the cloudy weather conditions, and that the flight should have been aborted.

All the cases allege that the two companies were careless and negligent.

The crash happened on 26 January, as the group was travelling to a youth basketball tournament, with the helicopter plunging down into the mountainside in thick fog.

An initial National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report said there were no signs of engine failure from the wreckage recovered.

Mr Zobayan, 50, had more than 8,200 hours of flight time and had nearly navigated the helicopter out of clouds when the aircraft suddenly turned and went down.

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Weather conditions including heavy clouds, fog and limited visibility reported in the vicinity of the crash were clearly a problem, as audio from air traffic control and 911 calls have confirmed.

Also killed in the crash were Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, who was another of Gianna's teammates.