Vanessa Amorosi wins legal battle against her own mother – after bitter feud over her fortune turned ugly
Singer-songwriter Vanessa Amorosi has won a legal battle against her mother, with a judge ruling that an alleged housing agreement between the two never took place.
The 42-year-old woman sued Joyleen Robinson in the Supreme Court of Victoria to obtain full ownership of two properties she had bought as a result of her success.
One of these was an eight-acre estate at Narre Warren in south-east Melbourne, while the second was Amorosi’s current residence in California.
Amorosi claimed that the $650,000 she used to purchase Narre Warren’s home in 2001 came from an escrow account set up to receive all of her earnings as a singer-songwriter.
Mrs Robinson alleged that Amorosi agreed to transfer full ownership of the Narre Warren home if she paid $650,000 when asked.
She claimed the appointment was made in February 2001 during a conversation in the kitchen of their former family home.
Ms Robinson said she transferred $710,000 to Amorosi in 2014 toward the loan she had taken out for her US home, claiming she had fulfilled her obligations under the housing pact.
However, Amorosi told the court that she had full ownership rights as no agreement had ever been reached.
Vanessa Amorosi has won a legal battle against her mother over ownership of two properties. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)
Amorosi sued mother Joyleen Robinson (centre) in the Supreme Court of Victoria (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)
The singer also attempted to become the sole owner of her current California home, which she purchased through an escrow account opened by her mother.
Judge Steven Moore ruled Thursday that the alleged agreement between Amorosi and her mother never took place and that Narre Warren’s estate should be in Amorosi’s name alone.
He also ruled that Amorosi should be the sole owner of her California home.
Judge Moore did agree that Mrs Robinson should receive damages from Amorosi for the contribution she made to Amorosi’s property in 2014.
He ordered Amorosi to pay her mother $650,000 plus $219,486.33 in interest.
Amorosi was not present at the hearing for Judge Moore’s ruling on Thursday, as she was still in the US.
Mrs. Robinson herself was also not present, although several family members were present in the courtroom.
The Amorosi Hut at Narre Warren North is a dark blot on an otherwise picturesque landscape
Amorosi made her breakthrough in 1999 with the release of her debut single ‘Have a Look’, which achieved gold status in Australia.
The following year, she achieved international success with her debut studio album, The Power.
Amorosi performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Her performance of ‘Heroes Live Forever’ during the opening ceremony received international acclaim.
But it was her song ‘Absolutely Everybody’ that became the unofficial anthem of the Games and was a huge hit in Australia and many European countries, including Britain and Germany.
She has sold more than two million albums and singles worldwide.
