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Vanessa Bryant's mother doesn't regret filing a $5 million lawsuit to claim a percentage of the late Kobe Bryant's multi-million estate.
Sofia Laine, Kobe's mother-in-law, responded to her daughter Vanessa's criticism after she filed a $5 million lawsuit against Kobe's estate.
In a statement, Sofia said:
"For starters, I would like to state that I did not enjoy airing our family grievances in the public. Although I filed a lawsuit, I did not make any public comments and was hoping for the court process to run its Cours without the publicity, as hurtful as it is."
Sofia went on to say Vanessa severed all ties with her and "reneged on all obligations and agreements" to give her the lifestyle that she was entitled to.
In addition to $5 million cash, Sofia is demanding a Mercedes-Benz G Wagon and a new house.
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In her lawsuit, Sofia claims she is entitled to live the lifestyle she was accustomed to while Kobe was alive because she labored to babysit his children. She is pictured far right with Kobe and his family at a Lakers game in 2017.
Kobe lavished his mother-in-law with a mansion, cars, and luxury items such as designer clothing, bags and shoes -- while his own mother had to sell his memorabilia to buy a modest home for herself and her husband.
Sofia is also asking for $96.00 in hourly wages.
She wrote: "As for the $96.00 hourly wage that I am seeking, it was actually Vanessa that set this wage and not me."
Sofia subtly accused her daughter of making false statements on an apartment rental application.
"When Vanessa moved me out of my home and into an apartment, she completed a rental application in my name, without my knowledge, and wrote that I was being paid $200,000 annually, which equates to a $96.00 per hour wage."
She concluded:
"I hope that my daughter changes course and will do what is right and give me what was promised to me. I also hope that Vanessa will stop preventing me from seeing and spending time with my grandchildren. She is using my grandchildren to punish me for exercising my rights.
"Although I had no choice [but] to sue Vanessa, after this is all said and done, hopefully we can go back to having an amicable mother-daughter relationship."
In a previous statement, Vanessa said her mother had no rights to her late husband's estate. And her demands for $5 million, a G Wagon and a $96 hourly wage was more than the compensation Kobe gave her while he was alive.
"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. I have always been a home mother and my husband and I took care of our children all the time. 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. my husband and I thought it was better for her not to live in our house. she took care of our girls from time to time, as most grandparents do. she did not deal with business matters or expenses. She was a grandmother who was supported by me and her son-in-law at my request to charge me $ 96 per hour for supposedly working 12 hours a day for 18 years to care for her grandchildren.
"Actually, she only occasionally babysat my older girls when they were little. Ten years ago, our children were full-time students and athletes and I did not have another child until 2016. Her claims are obviously false, but I still tried, repeatedly, to fix things with my mother. Contrary to what it says, I have not left my children's side since the accident, except to visit the cemetery and make arrangements. Earlier this year, she was looking for a new home for herself, and a week later she went on TV and gave an interview in which she despised our family and made false accusations while living rent-free in a gated apartment complex in Newport Coast. 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.
"On the other hand, she contacted me through intermediaries (contrary to what she claims, my phone number has not changed) and demanded 5 million, a house and a Mercedes truck. 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. My husband and I have never discouraged or prevented her from supporting herself. This demand is frivolous, embarrassing and promised nothing to my mother, and I would be very disappointed with her behavior and lack of empathy."
