Vanessa Bryant Sorts Out Lawsuit With Mom for 'Unpaid Nanny Services'

Vanessa Bryant, the wife of deceased basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, has settled a lawsuit filed by her mother, Sofia Laine, who claimed that she wasn't paid for working as a nanny and personal assistant for the Bryant family.

Court documents revealed that Laine filed the lawsuit in December 2020, after her daughter failed to act on a promise from her son-in-law. Laine said that she was the family's nanny and long-time personal assistant.

Kobe allegedly promised to take care of Laine for the rest of her life, but he died in a tragic helicopter accident in January 2020, along with their 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Vanessa allegedly tried to "void and cancel" what Kobe has arranged for Laine after her husband's death.

However, in a statement to the press, Vanessa said that the "disgraceful and unimaginably hurtful" lawsuit was her mother's way of financially gaining from the Bryants. She noted that Kobe didn't make any promises to Laine, and she was not their nanny nor a personal assistant.

Vanessa said that she had been a stay-at-home mother since her marriage to Kobe, and they are full-time caregivers to all of their children. She added they have been supporting her mother for two decades, including buying her a house near the Bryants. To the kids, Laine was the grandmother who watched them from time to time, as many grandparents usually do.

Who is Sofia Laine?

Liane, formerly Sofia Urbieta, worked as a former school teacher who divorced Vanessa's father when she and her sister, Sophie, were still kids. However, not much is known about the 69-year-old grandmother as she led a private life and did not have a social media presence.

Vanessa, however, said that when her mother divorced her second husband, Stephen Laine, she started having problems with money due to the alimony. In a court deliberation in March 2020, her lawyers said that her stepfather asked for a reduction of the alimony payments ten years ago since Laine received support from the Bryants, who also provided her with a mansion.

At that time, Laine told the court in her defense against her ex-husband that she has never obligated her daughter to support her. She also said that claims about the house are "absolutely false." She won this case against Stephen.

Vanessa's lawyers used this alimony case in asking for the dismissal of Laine's lawsuit against their client. Vanessa also testified that her mother "demanded" a Mercedes SUV and $5 million. She said that Laine has spiraled out of control because she refused to give in to her threats and requests.

Vanessa Bryant Honors Daughter

With the lawsuit now behind her, Vanessa has been sharing photos of her daughter, Gianna, on her Instagram. In one of her latest posts, the mother posted a throwback picture of Gianna and her older sister, Natalia, as little girls sharing a bench. She captioned the photo with the words, "Missing my baby girl."

Gianna was supposed to turn 15 years old in May 2021, and Vanessa took this chance to announce the release of the Mambacita clothing line in honor of her deceased second child.

Meanwhile, Vanessa also said that if Kobe were still alive, he would be appalled and disappointed by Laine's lawsuit. Her lawyers didn't say how they settled the case with her mother.