Vanessa Bryant’s mother responds to statement: ‘I’m disappointed’

'I am nearly 70 years old, my health is deteriorating, and my own daughter is doing this to me?'

Dec 18, 2020

Vanessa Bryant’s mother has clapped back at her daughter’s claims that she is lying about being owed money for serving as nanny to her grandchildren.

As theGRIO previously reported, Bryant’s mother, Sofia Laine, claims that for years, she worked for the Bryant family as a personal assistant and nanny, and that her late son-in-law, NBA star Kobe Bryant, “promised to take care of [Sofia] for the rest of her life,” before he passed away.

Lane, 68, claims that Vanessa, 38, has not honored that vow after he and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna tragically died in a helicopter crash in January.

Vanessa responded to the allegations, calling them hurtful and erroneous and slamming her mother’s claim that she is owed money — but Laine says she has proof.

“For starters, I would like to state that I do not enjoy airing our family grievances in the public,” Laine said in a statement per TMZ. “Although I filed a lawsuit, I did not make any public comments and was hoping for the court process to run its course without the publicity, as hurtful as it is. I did not want this and do not want this.”

She continued, “All I wanted is what I worked for. Vanessa, despite everything that I have been promised and done for her and the family, has attempted to sever all ties and renege on all obligations and agreements.”

Laine goes on to note that she is “so disappointed, hurt, and wronged to the point that I had no choice but to file a lawsuit.” She added, “I am nearly 70 years old, my health is deteriorating, and my own daughter is dong this to me?”

In her lawsuit seeking $5 million from her daughter, Laine alleges that “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.”

Vanessa accuses her mother of simply trying to “extort a financial windfall from our family.”

“I have supported her for nearly 20 years, and she was never my or Kobe’s personal assistant, nor was she a nanny,” she said in a lengthy statement on Thursday (Dec. 17).

Vanessa insists she has always been a full time stay-at-home mother for her daughters: Natalia, 17, Bianka, 4, Capri, 18 months and Gianna before her death.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!