LOS ANGELES -- Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, has denounced a lawsuit from her mother claiming she is owed years of pay for working as an unpaid assistant and support promised by the basketball legend, who was killed in a helicopter crash in January.
Bryant issued a statement Thursday saying her mother was trying to "extort a financial windfall," the Los Angeles Times reported.
The 48-page lawsuit filed by Sofia Urbieta Laine, 68, claims that Kobe Bryant "promised to take care" of her for life.
"Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant's promise 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's promises," the lawsuit claims, asserting that Vanessa Bryant never intended to honor those wishes.