When Kobe Bryant passed away, Vanessa Bryant lost way more than just her husband and daughter, she also lost a relationship with her own mother.
Sofia Laine has filed a lawsuit against her daughter for financial support, stating that she didn’t receive pay when she worked as a “longtime personal assistant and nanny” for the Bryants, according to The Jasmine Brand. She alleged in court documents that before Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing earlier this year, he “promised to take care of” her “for the rest of her life.”
“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]. Vanessa Bryant did not intend to honor any of the Bryants’ representations, agreements and promises at any stage.”
Vanessa Bryant has since fired back, telling PEOPLE that her mom is “continuing to try and find ways to extort a financial windfall from our family.”
She added:
“I have supported her for nearly 20 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. 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 continued:
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“She was a grandmother who was supported by me and her son-in-law at my request. She now wants to back-charge me $96 per hour for supposedly working 12 hours a day for 18 years for watching her grandchildren. In reality, she only occasionally babysat my older girls when they were toddlers. As of 10 years ago, our kids were full-time students and athletes and I didn’t have another child until 2016. 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.”
It was Sofia Lane who would do a sit-down interview about how her daughter kicked her out of the house.
Vanessa said of the sit-down:
“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. 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 said her mother is
“now trying to get more money than my husband and I ever spent to provide for her while he was alive.”
She added the lawsuit against her is:
“frivolous, disgraceful and unimaginably hurtful.”
“She has no regard for how this is 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 monthly alimony from her ex-husband since 2004. My husband and I have never discouraged or kept her from providing for herself.”
“My husband never promised my mother anything, and he would be so disappointed in her behavior and lack of empathy.”
Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant were two of nine victims who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26th.
