Vanessa Bryant and Her Mother Have Brought Their Messy Legal Dispute to an End

It's hard to imagine the type of situations that Vanessa Bryant has encountered in the wake of her husband, Kobe Bryant, and daughter, Gianna Bryant's untimely deaths at the beginning of 2020. Between the loss of two immediate family members, the massive media response to the tragedy, and the subsequent lawsuit filed by her own mother, Sofia Laine, against her, Vanessa has been through a lot over the last year or so.

Thankfully, it seems as though Vanessa and Sofia have finally been able to resolve their legal dispute and move on with their lives. But the question remains: How exactly did they end up settling the lawsuit? Keep reading to find out!

Back in December 2020, news broke that Sofia was suing Vanessa over what she claimed was years of unpaid services as a nanny to Vanessa and Kobe's children. At the time, Sofia claimed, via TMZ, that "despite everything that I have been promised and done for her and the family, [Vanessa] has attempted to sever all ties and renege on all obligations and agreements."

She further claimed that her daughter kicked her out and completely cut her off financially after Kobe died.

The details of their subsequent court case have been largely kept under wraps, but the mother-daughter duo traded verbal shots at one another in the media during the time where it was seemingly being settled in court.

In a statement to E! News, Vanessa 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 daughter's full-time caregivers."

Furthermore, Vanessa added that her mother's claims were "obviously false" and that she feels the lawsuit is "frivolous, disgraceful, and unimaginably hurtful," adding, "My husband never promised my mother anything, and he would be so disappointed in her behavior and lack of empathy."

Now, Vanessa and Sofia's lawsuit is finally settled, although the terms under which they settled it are to be kept a secret by both parties. Neither Vanessa nor Sofia have released a statement now that the case is officially closed, and neither party likely ever will in keeping with the seemingly strict code of confidentiality surrounding the verdict.

When the case was initially brought before a judge, Sofia was allegedly suing her daughter for $200,000 in back payments for her work as a nanny for Vanessa's kids. This amount comes out to roughly $96 an hour given the amount of time she claimed to have rendered services over the years.

Although Sofia, like her daughter, has opted to remain out of the spotlight, there are a few details that we know about her and her relationship with Vanessa.

Per the Daily Press, Sofia divorced Vanessa's father when her daughter was young, and he relocated to Baja, Mexico. For about the first 8 years of her life, Vanessa used her father's surname, Cornejo, despite never growing close to him.

At around the same time that Vanessa changed her surname, Sofia met Stephen Laine while working at an electronics firm and the two were married in 1990, remaining a couple until 2002.

During the time they were together, Sofia and Stephen reportedly encountered dire financial situations, causing them to file for bankruptcy only four days after Kobe and Vanessa announced their engagement.

Through all that, Sofia seemingly remained close to her daughter, Kobe, and grandkids for years to come. She was present when Kobe played his last game of basketball in 2017. Furthermore, she was in attendance at the family's final Thanksgiving dinner together before Kobe and Gianna's untimely deaths. According to Vanessa's recollection of it all, her mother fell out of grace with the family around the same time Kobe and Gianna passed away, spurring the feud that brought about their lawsuit.