Vanessa Bryant Makes Legal Request in Her Mother’s Lawsuit Claiming ‘Lifetime Support’

Vanessa Bryant’s mother Sofia Laine filed a lawsuit in December seeking lifetime financial support. She claimed that the late Kobe Bryant promised to take care of her financially for the rest of her life. Vanessa has since responded by asking the judge to have the case dismissed.

According to TMZ, Vanessa filed new docs and pointed out a legal fight Sofia was having against her ex-husband in 2004 and 2008. The fight reportedly revolved around spousal support. Laine’s ex-husband claimed that he should not have to pay her due to financial support from the Bryant family. Laine reportedly responded by saying that her daughter and son-in-law had no obligations to support her. She said that anything given to her was simply “out of the goodness of their hearts.”

TMZ reports that Vanessa’s legal documents also mentioned comments from Laine’s ex-husband about reported home purchases. He pointed to tabloid stories claiming that Vanessa had purchased a $1 million home for her mother, saying that she wasn’t in need of support. Laine reportedly said that the stories were “absolutely false.” She also reportedly said that “I would never permit Vanessa to do such a thing. I have not and do not [nor should I be required to] rely on Vanessa for my support.”

Vanessa’s legal team has argued that Laine did not go after Bryant’s estate within the required time frame. She reportedly did not file a creditor’s claim within one year of the NBA player’s death. Additionally, the legal team said that the alleged oral promise to support Laine financially for the rest of her life was “too vague to be enforced.”

When she originally filed the lawsuit against Vanessa, Laine claimed that she had worked unpaid as a “longtime personal assistant and nanny” for the family. She said that the Bryant family violated California labor laws and did not give her meal breaks, rest periods, or minimum wage. Vanessa responded to these claims in both legal documents and an interview with PEOPLE.

“For nearly two decades, we arranged for my mother to live in our nearby properties, at no cost to her because she had claimed that she didn’t have any money to buy her own home after her divorce,” Vanessa said about the claims to PEOPLE. “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.”