Vanessa Bryant gets sued by own mother after Kobe's untimely death

Vanessa Bryant has dubbed her mother Sofia Laine's lawsuit against her "absurd" and an attempt to "extort a financial windfall" from her family after her husband Kobe Bryant's untimely death.

Sofia Laine filed a suit against her daughter Vanessa Bryant on Tuesday, seeking financial support on the grounds that she worked unpaid as a "longtime personal assistant and nanny" for the family for years. According to court documents obtained by People magazine, Laine has claimed that the late Kobe Bryant had "promised to take care of" his mother-in-law "for the rest of her life."

"Unfortunately, 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 made to [Laine]. Vanessa Bryant did not intend to honour any of the Bryants' representations, agreements and promises at any stage," it has been alleged in the court papers filed by the 68-year-old.

Vanessa, who lost her husband and 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash in January this year, has reacted strongly to her mother's allegations. The 38-year-old, who previously also insisted she has continued her financial support to her mother, called the lawsuit "frivolous, disgraceful and unimaginably hurtful."

"I have supported her for nearly 20 years, and she was never my or Kobe's personal assistant, nor was she a nanny," Vanessa told the outlet.

The former model, who is also mother to daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 4, and Capri Kobe, 18 months, further clarified: "I have always been a stay-at-home mother and my husband and I were our daughters' full-time caregivers."

Vanessa claimed that she and Kobe shouldered her mother's living costs in nearby properties for nearly two decades after she said she didn't have any money to buy her own home after her divorce. Further denying Sofia's claims of being treated as a nanny, Vanessa said: "My husband and I felt it was best for her not to live in our home. She watched our girls from time to time, just like most grandparents do. She did not take care of business issues or expenses. She was a grandmother who was supported by me and her son-in-law at my request."

Vanessa said that her mother occasionally babysat her daughters, but is now asking her to reimburse $96 per hour for supposedly working 12 hours a day for 18 years for watching her grandchildren.

"As of 10 years ago, our kids were full-time students and athletes and I didn't have another child until 2016. Her claims are obviously false but I still tried, repeatedly, to work things out with my mother," she said.

Vanessa also denied her mother's claims that she has left her children's side since Kobe's death, except when to visit the cemetery to make funeral arrangements. She also said that she had continued financially providing for Laine even after her controversial interview in September where she claimed Vanessa forced her out of a family home and made her return a car she used.

Vanessa insisted that her late husband "never promised" her mother anything, and also noted that the NBA star "would be so disappointed in her behaviour and lack of empathy."