It's hard to imagine who would want to see Vanessa Bryant go through another ounce of pain after the year she's been through. It's even harder to imagine the person causing that pain would be her own mother.
On Tuesday, California court documents obtained by People magazine revealed that 68-year-old Sofia Laine is suing her daughter for financial support. According to Sofia, she worked unpaid as a "longtime personal assistant and nanny." Her lawsuit also claims Kobe Bryant made a commitment to taking care of her for the rest of her life prior to his untimely death in January.
This isn't the first time Sofia is claiming she's been left high and dry. She appalled many people with an appearance on Univison's El Gordo Y La Flaca in September. In the interview, she claimed Vanessa kicked her out of the family home and wasn't letting her see her remaining granddaughters. Vanessa put out a classy but pointed statement combatting her mother's accusations then. Now she's posted a lengthy statement online to set the record straight.
Vanessa Bryant has had enough of her mother's attempts to extort money from her family. It's been almost a year since Vanessa lost husband Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. While you'd think her family would be the ones holding her up through her heartbreak, it appears her mother feels like she's the one who needs holding up.
On Tuesday, 68-year-old Sofia Laine filed court documents suing her daughter, Vanessa, for financial support. In the filings obtained by People, Sofia claims she worked as an unpaid "longtime personal assistant and nanny" for the family. She claims that Kobe had committed to taking care of her for the rest of her days, but Vanessa says such was not the case.
"Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant's promises did not see the light of day as he is now deceased, and Vanessa Bryant took each and every step she could to void and cancel all of Kobe Bryant's promises made to [Laine]," the documents read.
"Vanessa Bryant did not intend to honor any of the Bryants' representations, agreements and promises at any stage."
You can only imagine how heart-wrenching and unnecessary this must all feel to Vanessa, especially coming from her own mother.
Vanessa responded to the lawsuit by releasing a lengthy statement shared on her Instagram story on Thursday.
"My mother is continuing to try and find ways to extort a financial windfall from our family," she wrote.
"I have supported her for nearly twenty years, and she was never my or Kobe's personal assistant, nor was she a nanny. I have always been a stay-at-home mother and my husband and I were our daughters' full-time caregivers."
"For nearly two decades, we arranged for my mother to live in our nearby properties, at no cost to her because she had claimed that she didn't have any money to buy her own home after her divorce," Vanessa continued.
"My husband and I felt it was best for her not to live in our home. She watched our girls from time to time, just like most grandparents do."
"She did not take care of business issues or expenses. She was a grandmother who was supported by me and her son-in-law at my request," she continued.
"She now wants to back charge me $96 per hour for supposedly working 12 hours a day for 18 years watching her grandchildren."
"In reality, she only occasionally babysat my older girls when they were toddlers. As of ten years ago, our kids were full-time students and athletes and I didn't have another child until 2016," Vanessa pointed out.
"Her claims are obviously false but I still tried, repeatedly, to work things out with my mother."
"Contrary to what she's saying, I haven't left my children's side since the accident except to visit the cemetery to make arrangements," she noted.
"Earlier this year, I was looking for a new home for her and, a week later, she went on television and gave an interview disparaging our family and making false accusations while living rent-free in a gated apartment complex in Newport Coast."
"Even after that betrayal, I was willing to provide my mother with monthly support for the rest of her life and that wasn't good enough. She, instead, contacted me through intermediaries (contrary to what she claims, my phone number hasn't changed) and demanded $5 million, a house, and a Mercedes SUV," Vanessa noted.
"Because I did not give in to her hurtful threats and monetary requests, she has spiraled out of control and is making false and absurd claims. She is now trying to get more money than my husband and I ever spent to provide for her while he was alive."
Vanessa didn't mince words about how horrible this is for her children.
"She has no regard for how this affecting my children and me. She wants to live off of my daughters and me for the rest of her life while continuing to collect alimony from her ex-husband since 2004," she concluded.
"My husband and I have never discouraged or kept her from providing for herself. This lawsuit is frivolous, disgraceful, and unimaginably hurtful. My husband never promised my mother anything, and he would be so disappointed in her behavior and lack of empathy."
Sofia responded with her own statement that puts the blame right back on Vanessa. She maintains that she simply wants what she worked for and that Vanessa is the one causing everyone pain.
"For starters, I would like to state that I do not enjoy airing our family grievances in the public," Sofia's statement reads.
"Although I filed a lawsuit, I did not make any public comments and was hoping for the court process to run its course without the publicity, as hurtful as it is. I did not want this and do not want this."
"However, I did not have a choice as it was Vanessa's own doing that has resulted in this now-public quarrel," she continued.
"All I wanted is what I worked for. Vanessa, despite everything that I have been promised and done for her and the family, has attempted to sever all ties and renege on all obligations and agreements."
"Why would she do this to her own mother? I am so disappointed, hurt, and wronged to the point that I had no choice but to file a lawsuit," she continued.
"I am nearly 70 years old, my health is deteriorating, and my own daughter is doing this to me?"
Of course, it's important to note that not a detail of this was public prior to Sofia's September interview on El Gordo Y La Flaca. It's heartbreaking to see this family endure more pain after all they've been through. Whatever the truth may be, hopefully it's sorted out behind closed doors and not in further court documents.
