Sofia Laine Responds to Vanessa Bryant: ‘Why Would You Do This to Your Own Mother?’

The Bryant family battle is heating up, as Vanessa’s mother Sofia Laine responds to her daughter’s latest claim that she was not the family’s nanny.

Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa and her mom have not been on good terms since his death in a helicopter crash earlier this year.

A court document confirms that Laine is suing Bryant for financial support, claiming she worked without any pay as a “longtime personal assistant and nanny” for the famous family.

Vanessa hit back, telling People in a statement, “In reality, she only occasionally babysat my older girls when they were toddlers. 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."

Now, TMZ reports Laine responded to Vanessa, saying, "For starters, I would like to state that I do not enjoy airing our family grievances in the public.”

She continued, "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."

Lane insisted, "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."

"Why would she do this to her own mother?” she asked. “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?"

Speaking directly to Vanessa’s statement that Sofia babysat occasionally but was never a nanny, Sofia said, "[Vanessa] drafted and enforced an extremely strict schedule for the round-the-clock care of my grandchildren. It is simply ridiculous that she would deny this."

According to the lawsuit, Laine claims that Kobe had “promised” to care for her “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 honor any of the Bryants' representations, agreements and promises at any stage,” the suit states.

In response to the allegations, Vanessa accuses her mother of “continuing to try and find ways to extort a financial windfall from our family.”

In a statement to People magazine, the mother of four said, “I have supported her for nearly 20 years, and she was never my or Kobe's personal assistant, nor was she a nanny. I have always been a stay-at-home mother and my husband and I were our daughters' full-time caregivers."

Vanessa also lost her daughter Gianna, 13, in the crash, which killed nine.

“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 continued. "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."