The Australian artist Vanessa Amorosi argues that because her mother took control of her finances early in her career under the pretense of protecting her, she had no control over them.
In the Victorian Supreme Court, the 42-year-old is suing her mother Joyleen Robinson for full ownership of two properties she and her mother jointly purchased as a result of her success.
The first is an eight-hectare estate in Melbourne’s southeast suburb of Narre Warren, while the second is Amorosi’s current home in California.
On Thursday, Amorosi testified in court, frequently pausing to blot her eyes and gather herself.
Joyleen Robinson allegedly warned Vanessa Amorosi not to entrust anyone else with her money.
She claimed that her mother had advised her to handle her funds alone since the beginning of her profession.
Amorosi testified in court that the woman “was very afraid of people wanting to steal the money.”
Robinson established a trust in 1999 into which Amorosi was able to transfer all of its sales, royalties, and touring revenue. The Narre Warren house was purchased in 2001 with funds from that trust totaling about $650,000.
Robinson listed her name as a joint owner on the title, according to Amorosi, who claimed her mother purchased the house before she even saw it.
“I must admit that I was a little let down when I initially visited the house. She reportedly told the court, “I didn’t want a huge mansion like that.
Amorosi purchased a second residence in Officer in 2005 using a different trust that her mother had established to manage all of her assets.
Even though she was generating millions of dollars, she told the court that she had to take out a loan to pay for the property.
Amorosi claimed that she never sought legal counsel before executing any mortgages or bank guarantees, choosing instead to merely comply with her mother’s requests.
Eventually, the 42-year-old relocated to California in order to pursue job prospects and to be with a lover, and she purchased property there.
She secured the loan for the house using the Narre Warren and Officer properties as well as two residential flats.
Amorosi testified in court that she believed the Officer property and the flats would be sold to reduce the debt, but nothing of the sort happened.
In 2014, she was forced to sell the California house because she was no longer able to make payments on it.
Robinson accused her mother of wasting all of her money, according to Amorosi, who testified in court.
Amorosi admitted before the court, “I was extremely irate. The singer-songwriter said that their argument was sparked by the incident, which spurred her to file a lawsuit. Justice Steven Moore is still hearing the evidence.
