Vanessa Bryant accuses her mother Sofia Laine of trying to extort millions from their family after Kobe Bryant’s death.
Laine reportedly filed a lawsuit claiming that Kobe promised to take care of her for the rest of her life. She also claimed that her daughter left her out to dry after the late star and her granddaughter passed away in January.
The grieving wife took to Instagram and wrote: “My mother is continuing to find ways to extort a financial windfall from our family.”
“I have supported her for nearly twenty years, and she was never my or Kobe’s personal assistant, nor was she a nanny,” Vanessa continued.
“I have always been a stay-at-home mother and my husband and I were our daughter’s full-time care givers.
“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.”
She 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 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 ten years ago, our kids were full time students and athletes and I didn’t have another child until 2016.”
Vanessa also said that her mother’s claims “are obviously false” but she tried many times to work things out with Laine.
“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,” Vanessa wrote.
“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 also slammed her mother for having “no regard” for how her actions were impacting her grandchildren.
“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,” she added.
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Replaced!