Vanessa Amorosi has spoken for the first time about her ugly court battle with her mother Joyleen Robinson, which saw the pair clash over ownership of a Narre Warren property.
The pop star successfully sued Robinson in 2023 for sole ownership of the rural Melbourne home where Robinson lived, and a second home in Los Angeles, where Vanessa resides.
The pair fell out over a decade ago over the 44-year-old’s music earnings, and on Sunday, Amorosi addressed the feud in detail.
The singer said she believed she had earned at least $10 million dollars amid her successful pop career, only to learn she was in fact bankrupt and could not afford to keep up the mortgage payments on her Los Angeles ‘dream home’.
Her mother managed Amorosi’s trust at the time, and while there is no suggestion the accounts were mismanaged, Amorosi did not realise she was drowning in debt.
Amorosi says that she had no choice but to challenge her mother in court, as she had to sell her assets to repay the debts she did not realise she had incurred.
Vanessa Amorosi has spoken for the first time about her ugly court battle with her mother Joyleen Robinson, which saw the pair clash over ownership of a Narre Warren property Pictured on 60 Minutes
‘Like, people want to know, “Why would you do this to your mum?” Like, trust me, that’s not a good time,’ Vanessa told 60 Minutes.
‘I think she banked on (that) I would never have the guts or I would just walk away. And it took a lot of buckling down, because if I walked away, I walked away with a debt. That’s where I was left,’ she said.
Amorosi’s legal win saw her mum evicted from the Narre Warren property this year.
The star says that a strong relationship formed between her mother and herself due to the two of them suffering domestic violence at the hands of Amorosi’s late father.
Amorosi broke down sobbing as she explained how a certain codependency developed between mother and daughter as they supported one another through the trauma.
‘I think when you have this happen, you cling. In a household like that, I really felt like I wanted to protect my mum,’ she said, before asking for a break as she attempted to stem her tears.
The closeness between the pair left Amorosi feeling very ‘isolated’ as she says her mother encouraged her not to trust outsiders.
‘When I became successful, (it was like) everybody’s out to get you – anybody – your friends, your boyfriend, all of them out to get you. You become very isolated and you cling to the people in that barrier,’ she said.
The singer said she believed she had earned at least $10 million dollars amid her successful pop career, only to learn she was in fact bankrupt and could not afford to keep up the mortgage payments on her Los Angeles ‘dream home’. Pictured: Joyleen Robinson
Amorosi broke down sobbing as she explained how a certain codependency developed between mother and daughter as they supported one another through the trauma of domestic violence at the hands of her father
Elsewhere in the interview, Vanessa angrily refuted her mother’s claim that she’d suffered an aneurysm, leading to losing her memory and being manipulated by others.
‘It’s a straight-up lie. Do you know how angry that makes me, that in front of the whole country, (she is) taking away my credibility, (suggesting) that I’ve lost my mind,’ a clearly furious Vanessa said.
‘It’s infuriating because it’s like you are taking away my credibility.’
Amorosi claims that she felt silenced by her mother since childhood, and that the claims of an aneurysm are in keeping with that relationship dynamic where she felt ‘conditioned’ to behave in ways that appease her mum.
The hitmaker says that she is heartbroken that she has lost her family over money.
‘You know that saying, “A mother’s love is unconditional?” Her love is conditional. And that’s the only way I can make it simple,’ she concluded tearfully.
Earlier this year, Vanessa’s mother Joyleen revealed that she dreams of reuniting her family amid their brutal court battle.
Despite facing homelessness, Robinson told A Current Affair that all she wants is to reunite with her daughter, who she calls her one-time ‘best friend’, and meet her grandson for the first time.
Amorosi had been deadlocked with her mother after suing her over ownership of properties in Australia and the United States after a dramatic falling out. Robinson is pictured attending the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne
‘I do care about the house. I do love my house, but I love my daughter more,’ Robinson said, adding that she has been left ‘devastated’ by the breakdown of their relationship.
Robinson explained she has not seen Vanessa, who relocated to America in 2017, in ‘ten years’ but will ‘always love her’.
Sobbing when asked if she believes her daughter still loves her in return, Robinson said, ‘I hope so, I hope so’.
Offering a message for her estranged child, a tearful Robinson pleaded, ‘Come home.
‘Come home and join the family again. I’d love to meet her little son. He’s my grandson. I’ve never met him.’
The Absolutely Everybody hitmaker shares son Killian, born in 2016, with her husband, Brazilian martial arts trainer Rod Busby, who she married in 2017.
When asked why the pair fell out, Robinson blamed the music industry and a brain aneurysm she claims her daughter suffered.
‘It was after she had the aneurysm. She changed. Apparently, it was a brain aneurysm, and she had to have all this medication,’ Robinson said.
Amorosi launched legal action in March 2021 seeking sole ownership of a trust that listed both women as owners. Amorosi is pictured attending the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne
Robinson had lived in the semirural property in Narre Warren in Melbourne’s southeast (pictured) since 2001
Robinson explained that her daughter stopped speaking to her, which she found ‘strange’ before demanding information on her income from her mum.
‘I got an email one day saying that she wanted to know a little bit about her business. And so my younger daughter and I wrote it all out for her and sent it off,’ she said.
‘I’m a very honest person, right? I don’t take nothing from anyone.’
Robinson previously told Daily Mail Australia she is convinced her daughter suffered the brain injury more than nine years ago and wiped part of her memory.
The grieving mum added that she believes Vanessa has someone ‘in her ear’ pushing her to make financial decisions.
‘I just think people were talking. They sort of were in her ear. Where’s your money? Where’s your money sort of thing?’ she said.
Amorosi had been deadlocked with her mother after suing her over ownership of properties in Australia and the United States after a dramatic falling out.
Robinson had lived in the semirural property in Narre Warren in Melbourne’s southeast since 2001, while the other house included in the battle is Amorosi’s current California home.
Elsewhere in the interview, Vanessa angrily refuted her mother’s claim that she’d suffered an aneurysm, leading to losing her memory and being manipulated by others. Amorosi is pictured in 2020
In 2024, Supreme Court Justice Steven Moore ruled Amorosi was entitled to the properties but would have to pay her mum almost $870,000 in restitution.
The matter returned before the court in October last year, after negotiations between lawyers representing the mother and daughter failed.
Amorosi launched legal action in March 2021 seeking sole ownership of a trust that listed both women as owners.
The singer claimed the properties were bought using her ownership and that her mother had been ‘very generous’ with the millions of dollars she earned.
In countersuing, Robinson claimed the Narre Warren home was bought for her and the pair had made an agreement in the kitchen of their previous family home.
The agreement allegedly stipulated that if the singer ever hit financial difficulty, Ms Robinson would repay the initial $650,000 purchase price.
In 2014 she paid $710,000 from the sale of their previous home to pay down Amorosi’s $1.2m California mortgage, claiming the agreement had been fulfilled.
But Justice Moore found the ‘kitchen agreement’ had never happened, with Robinson to be reimbursed the $650,000 plus $219,486 in interest.
The court was told in October last year that Robinson had made claims that were later abandoned that the trust was for the benefit of the whole Amorosi family.
