Since the passing of NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi, his beloved widow, Vanessa Bryant, has had to slowly yet forcefully piece back together the foundations of her family. Vanessa's mother, Sofia Laine, had filed suit in December 2020 against her 38-year-old daughter for 'financial support' allegedly promised by her late son-in-law before the tragic helicopter crash that took his life last January.
According to reports acquired by TMZ, Vanessa has filed additional evidence providing solid proof that her mother Sofia was documented denying any obligation of financial support by the Bryant family. The original claim was allegedly after refuting her ex-husband's claim that he should not have to pay her spousal support upon their split back in 2004. Sofia's ex-husband's stance was since Sofia was being supported by Kobe and Vanessa (including a $1 million dollar home), based on tabloid reports, his support was unnecessary. Sofia's rebuttal claimed that whatever her daughter Vanessa and son-in-law Kobe gave her was "simply out of the goodness of their hearts".
With such devastating allegations within a family feud, Vanessa's legal team has shown up to the battle well-armed. Her lawyers argued back saying mother Sofia had one year from his death to take any action against Kobe's estate with a creditor's claim, to which she has not enforced. In a statement made by Vanessa's representatives to HollywoodLife, the young widow described her mother's lawsuit as "frivolous, disgraceful, and unimaginably hurtful" on top of the sureness of her late husband's most probable disappointment in her lack of empathy and behavior after his death.
Vanessa also set the record straight about her mother's petty attempt to allege that she was a victim of violated labor laws of the State of California, as the Bryant's had orally contracted Laine to adhere to a strict schedule in babysitting for the family's four daughters including late Gianna, who would've been 14 this year, Natalia (18), Bianka (4) and recent addition Capri who turns 2 this year. While nothing was secured in any written contractual way, Laine's standing is that she was held to work for the Bryants without meals or breaks, to which Vanessa's obvious vexation is not displaced.
Per the statement, Vanessa shares how her mother is seeking ways to "extort a financial windfall" from her family and that she has always been a stay-at-home-mother that was sincerely supporting her extended family and grandmother, Laine, after her divorce even placing her in nearby domiciles in order to distinguish the home life valuing at up over $2 million dollars at one time.
Post-death occurrences that emphasize financial gain are far too common for the rich and famous. Having seen lawsuits filed against massive estates such as that of Michael Jackson and Prince, it's no surprise the Bryant's are battling similar tactics. Although a conclusion has yet to have been rendered, a favorable result should manifest.
Sources: HollywoodLife, TMZ