What has Vanessa Bryant said about her mom Sofia Laine’s lawsuit?
VANESSA Bryant’s mother Sofia Laine spoke out against her daughter in a television interview after Kobe Bryant’s death.
Vanessa responded and said that Laine was not “physically or emotionally supportive” after the tragic passing of the basketball star.
Who is Sofia Laine?
Not much is known about Sofia Laine, other than at some point she worked as a shipping clerk, according to Hola.
She lived in one of the several homes the Bryant family owns in Newport Beach and the coast, before it was sold in 2013.
Sofia often looked very close to Kobe Bryant – who admitted his relationship with his parents was strained – and would wait outside his Los Angeles Lakers locker room in 2015.
She appeared in a family photo during Thanksgiving last year that Kobe shared on his Instagram.
The basketball legend died in a helicopter crash this January alongside their daughter, Gianna, and seven others, in January 2020.
Kobe and Gianna, herself a promising basketball player, were on their way to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice when the chopper crashed at around 10am on January 25.
After Kobe’s death, Laine helped her daughter with her grandchildren, a source told Us Weekly.
The source said Vanessa Bryant “is incredibly close to her mum” and that Laine was “her rock” in the weeks following her husband’s unexpected death.
“Her mum is always with her and the girls and she’s been keeping Vanessa strong and she’s the weight of her support system,” the source said.
It is not clear where Sofia is living at the moment.
What is her lawsuit against daughter Vanessa Bryant?
Sofia has accused Vanessa of telling her to “get out” of the house after NBA star Kobe Bryant’s death.
She also claims that the daughter ordered her to give a vehicle back.
“She told me, ‘I need you to get out of this house,’” Laine said on Univision’s ‘El Gorda y La Flaca’ show on Monday, September 21.
“She also told me that she wanted her car and she wants it now.”
What has Vanessa Bryant said about the lawsuit?
Vanessa responded to her mother’s claims with a statement of her own.
“My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly, and yet my mother had the audacity to do a television interview speaking negatively of me while shedding tears for a car and a house that were not in her name,” she wrote.
“She has removed all her diamond jewellery, emptied the apartment I provided, and put away the furniture to make it look like she doesn’t have my support.
“My husband and I have supported her financially for the past 20 years, and continue to do so, in addition to her monthly alimony.
“Contrary to previous reports, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive of my daughters and me after my husband and daughter passed away.
“Now I see what is most important to my mother and it’s more than painful. I hope that everything that is coming out about our personal relationship ends here.”
How many children do Vanessa and Kobe Bryant have?
Vanessa gave birth to four daughters: Natalia, 17; Bianka, 4; Capri, 1; and Gianna, who was 13.
On December 15, Vanessa posted a video of Capri – nicknamed ‘KoKo’ – wearing a festive bow and eating orange segments out of a bowl.
“What are you eating?” Vanessa asks to which Capri replies “orange” prompting her mum to say “Good job! Orange – you say it like daddy.”
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Vanessa has posted several videos since Kobe’s death showing Capri growing up, including one of her taking her first steps.
In September, Vanessa sued the LAPD sheriff over photos taken at the site of her husband’s helicopter crash.
Leaked photos surfaced after his death showing the remains of father and daughter.