Vanessa Bryant’s Mother Claims She ‘Didn’t Want This’ After Daughter Hits Back on Lawsuit Claims

Vanessa Bryant’s mother, Sofia Laine, recently filed a lawsuit against her for financial support, claiming that she was an assistant to the late Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26. Bryant responded said that her mother was trying to “extort a financial windfall,” but Sofia has since fired back. She claims that her daughter is lying.

“For starters, I would like to state that I do not enjoy airing our family grievances in the public,” Sofia said in a statement, per TMZ. “Although I filed a lawsuit, I did not make any public comments and was hoping for the court process to run its course without the publicity, as hurtful as it is. I did not want this and do not want this. All I wanted is what I worked for.

“Vanessa, despite everything that I have been promised and done for her and the family, has attempted to sever all ties and renege on all obligations and agreements,” Sofia continued. “Why would she do this to her own mother? I am so disappointed, hurt, and wronged to the point that I had no choice but to file a lawsuit. I am nearly 70 years old, my health is deteriorating, and my own daughter is doing this to me?”

Sofia also claimed that she was a nanny for “nearly 20 years.” She claims that Bryant “drafted and enforced an extremely strict” schedule for around-the-clock care for her grandchildren. Sofia called Bryant’s denial “ridiculous.”

When the lawsuit surfaced, Bryant spoke to PEOPLE and made strong comments about her mother’s claims. She said that the family had supported her mother for nearly 20 years and that she was never a nanny or assistant. Bryant also made claims about Sofia’s financial situation throughout the years.

“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,” Bryant told 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.”

Following the deaths of Kobe and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna, Sofia claimed in an interview that her daughter had “kicked her out” of the house. Bryant responded and said that Sofia had “not been physically present or emotionally supportive” for her and her daughters after Kobe and Gianna passed away. She also criticized her mother for “shedding tears” for a car and a house after the fatal helicopter crash.