Vanessa Bryant calls her mother Sofia Laine's demand of $5 million, a house and a Mercedes truck from her and her late husband's estate 'frivolous' and 'embarrassing.'

• Dec 17, 2020

AceShowbiz - Kobe Bryant's widow continues dealing with family drama following the tragic passing of her husband and one of their daughters, Gianna. Vanessa Bryant and the late NBA star's estate have been slapped with a lawsuit by her own mother Sofia Laine a.k.a. Sofia Urbieta, who has filed a complaint of damages to the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Orange.

While details of the lawsuit are currently unknown, Vanessa's response to the matter indicates that money is the root of the problem. She reportedly clapped back at her mother's claims in a lengthy statement in Spanish.

"My mother keeps trying to find ways to get a financial windfall from our family. I have supported her for almost twenty years, and she was never my personal assistant or Kobe's or babysitter," read part of the statement after being translated into English. "For almost two decades, we arranged for my mother to live in our nearby properties at no cost to her because she had claimed that she had no money to buy her own home after her divorce."

While Vanessa acknowledged that her mother helped care for her daughters "from time to time, as most grandparents do, she did not deal with business matters or expenses." The 38-year-old claimed that her mother even charged her "$ 96 per hour for supposedly working 12 hours a day for 18 years to care for her grandchildren."

Noting that she "repeatedly" tried "to fix things with my mother," Vanessa cited Sofia's interview back in September in which "she despised our family and made false accusations" that she was kicked out of her home by Vanessa and was forced to return a car she drove. "Even after that tradition, I was willing to give my mother monthly support for the rest of her life and that was not good enough," so she claimed.

But much to Vanessa's disappointment, her mother later "contacted me through intermediaries ... and demanded 5 million, a house and a Mercedes truck." The mother of four said, "Because I did not give in to her hurtful threats and monetary requests, she has gotten out of control making false and absurd claims. now she is trying to get more money than my husband and I spent to support her while she continues to collect her ex-husband's monthly alimony since 2004."

She also denied that she changed her phone number as her mother alleged. Calling her mother's demand "frivolous, embarrassing and promised nothing to my mother," she said of her mother's action, "I would be very disappointed with her behavior and lack of empathy."

Vanessa previously blasted her mother following her TV interview in September, stating, "My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly and yet my mom has the audacity to do an interview on TV talking negatively about me while shedding tears about a car and home that wasn't in her name. She has removed all her diamond jewelry, emptied her apartment that I provide, and put the furniture in storage to appear as though she is without support."

"My husband and I have financially supported her over the past 20 years, and I continue to do so, in addition to her monthly alimony," she added. "Contrary to previous reports, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive for my daughters and me after my husband and daughter passed away. Going forward, I see what is most important to my mom and it is beyond hurtful. I hope this public airing of our personal relations will stop here."