Vanessa Bryant wants a judge to dismiss her own mother’s claim that her deceased husband Kobe Bryant promised to take care of her for the rest of her life.
TMZ reports Vanessa’s mother, Sofia Laine, hit Kobe’s estate with a lawsuit, that says the Los Angeles Lakers legend promised to take care of her financially forever. Laine reportedly claims that the late Kobe, had a “oral promise” with her.
Vanessa’s team thinks that even if that conversation had happened, it’s too vague to be enforced.
“In new docs, Vanessa points to a legal fight Sofia was having against her ex-husband in 2004 and 2008 over spousal support. Sofia’s ex-husband claimed he should not have to pay her because she was being supported by Kobe and Vanessa. Sofia fired back that her daughter and son-in-law had no obligation to support her, and whatever they gave her was simply out of the goodness of their hearts.
Sofia’s ex also pointed to tabloid stories which claimed Vanessa bought a $1 million home for her so she wasn’t in need of support. Sofia shot back … the stories were “absolutely false” and “I would never permit Vanessa to do such a thing. I have not and do not (nor should I be required to) rely on Vanessa for my support.”
Sofia is claiming that Kobe and Vanessa violated California labor laws by not giving her meal breaks, rest periods and giving her minimum wage for babysitting their children.
According to Vanessa’s team, “[Sofia] was never an ’employee’ … [she] is a grandmother who, at times, helped her daughter and son-in-law by spending time with her grandchildren.”
