Australian performer Vanessa Amorosi is suing her mother for ownership of two properties bought at the height of her success.
The 42-year-old singer-songwriter appeared in person at the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday, where her lawyer laid out the case against her mother Joyleen Robinson.
Barrister Philip Solomon KC said the feud centred on a property in Narre Warren in Melbourne’s southeast and Amorosi’s current home in California.
The court was told Robinson set up two trusts in 1999 when Amorosi was about 18 years old and at the height of her fame.
Vanessa Amorosi is set to be cross-examined in her court battle against her mother.
One of the trusts received all of Amorosi’s income from her sales and tours, totalling about $1.3 million in 2001.
About $464,000 from that trust was used to purchase a new family home in Narre Warren in 2001, Solomon said.
The eight-hectare property still has Amorosi and Robinson listed as joint owners but the singer is seeking either full ownership or to hold more than 50 per cent.
Amorosi is also seeking full ownership of her home in California, which was purchased by the second trust set up by her mother.
There is a mortgage attached to the Californian property but Amorosi was willing to take on the debt as well, Solomon said.
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“These were structures set up for her benefit at a time in her career where she was extraordinarily successful and young,” he told the court.
“If different structures would have been set up… there wouldn’t be a controversy 22 years later.”
The court was told tension between Amorosi and her mother started in 2015, with the singer first filing the civil case in 2021.
Solomon noted Robinson claims there was a verbal agreement between her and her daughter about the Narre Warren property.
He did not detail what the agreement entailed, instead saying he wanted to see how Robinson explained it during her cross-examination.
“It’s a matter of regret and disappointment that her mother has done to her what’s occurred,” Solomon told the court.
“It’s always vexing for a family dispute to play out in court.”
Robinson sought to have the trial vacated on Tuesday morning but Justice Steven Moore denied her application.
She is due to give evidence later in the week after Amorosi is cross-examined on Thursday.
