Oprah's Mom Countersues
Filed under: Legal Matters > Oprah Winfrey
As we mentioned last month, Oprah Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, reportedly owes over $155,000 to a high-end fashion store in Wisconsin.
And, since she owes so much and hasn't paid up, the store, Valentina, Inc, is suing Momma O's momma.
Lee was supposed to pay monthly installments of $2,000 to cover the $155,547 in purchases, plus interest, and hasn't paid since July 1st.
At the time, Lee would enjoy private showings, special delivery services, and perks from the store. She also had her open-ended charge account with them, since January 2004.
But now Lee says she shouldn't have to pay the bill!
The reason?
Apparently Lee believes the store officials never should have extended credit to her.
That's not a reason why not to pay up!
So, Lee has now filed a counterclaim as of last Friday, where she contends that Valentina took advantage of her "lack of knowledge, ability, and-or capacity" when creating her credit account.
WHAT?!?!
Is she saying she doesn't know HOW to use a credit account? Because it seems pretty obvious to us.
What you buy, you must eventually pay for!
According to Lee, she resolved a 2002 case with the company over a $175,000 bill.
That resolution prohibited Valentina from extending any further credit to her.
SHADY!!
In 2002, Lee was ordered to pay $35,000 upfront and also make monthly payments of $5,000 until her other past-due bill of $174,285 was paid for.
So, as part of the resolution in 2002, the court order which dismissed the case stated, "Valentina Boutique, Inc., shall not at any time extend further store credit to the Defendant, Vernita Lee."
So the 2002 case was dismissed as long as Lee made the payments, which she did.
And, now in her counterclaim, Lee is asking the court to award her damages including twice the amount of any finance charge on the account, plus her attorney fees.
So Lee's been in this same situation with the same company? And she knew she shouldn't get credit from the store if she couldn't pay up, but she took it anyway. And now doesn't want to pay.
That's messed up.
Oprah wouldn't approve!
And the store is stoopid for giving her the credit the second time around - bit not too stoopid. We're sure they were hoping O would bail her momma out!
[Image via WENN.]
she isn't going to help her momma out?
that greedy bitch!!
this post goes beyond my reading capabilities….too long
heather locklear was set up!
that is so wrong!!
hey harry….hows obamonkey today?
She's worth billions and can't help her mom????
Re: wanna milk me?? – He left for Washington, said he had to work on the bailout.
why does it say my profile no longer exists?
maybe oprahs mom is too old to know whats goin on, she must be in her 90's cuz oprah is pretty old isnt she
What did the dumb bitch do , put the shit on lay away?
Re: harrybalsac – at least he isn't hanging with springsteen
and joel
Re: wanna milk me?? – Now your just a # , not a name, welcome to the machine. Name change.
Re: harrybalsac –
that reminds me….i have a few things i have to put payment on.
do they even have that shit anymore, layaway?
that is too funny.
Throw that idiot bitch in jail.
Do you think O's titties are full of chocolate milk?
hmmmm ok. sounds shady. but for real i didn't even read the whole post….that thing was long and boring!!!! who cares?
oprah don't care about black mama's.
racist.
Re: wanna milk me?? – uhuh
refresh
155,000 is like chump change for Miss O…help yo mama out beotch!
The store gave her credit because she is Oprah's mom, wrong, wrong, wrong! I hope Oprah DOESN'T bail her out, I don't care how much money Oprah has, the mother should know better!
I remember Oprah telling a story about how her mom forced her to wear really ugly geeky eyeglasses when she was 13 and she cried. Even if she didn't have much money she didn't have to make her wear the Dexter Poindexter frames. The cuter styles are the same price. Her mom did that for meanness. $150G is nothing to O. Payback is a B*tch.
okay . . . first a "high end fashion store in Wisconsin" is an oxymoron . . . I don't think they exist. Second, Oprah thinks she's higher then God and I'm sure her mother has the same attitude . . . make her pay or send her to jail. I can't stand Oprah.
Are u trying to say we're a bunch of hillbillies in Wisconsin or something?? Milwaukee's a pretty big city…. there are plenty of stores normal people can't afford to shop at.
She is one of the richest women in the world and can't pay 150 g's to help her mom out thats fucked up. I don't care if her mom is retarded, its still her mom.
oprah needs to pay her momma's way! that store would not have given credit to an old black woman with no job unless they assumed that oprah would back the bill. she owes her momma anyway…if not for the shit life she had as a chils she would never have grown up to be the god she thinks she is. she supports gayle and stedman!
Why should Oprah bail her mother out? How would you like it if a family member kept getting into messes like this? Would you keep bailing them out.. further enabling the problem?? This is disgusting. The woman was knowledgable enough to buy the shit and use the shit…. now pay for it.
Yu can dress a monkey in a suit, but it's still a monkey.
Dumb bitch. The court should award the store full damages plus interest, and then put her in jail for attempted theft. "I shouldn't have to pay my bill because I don't understand credit" can't be allowed to fly, or every moron in this country is going to pull that crap. And why should Oprah have to bail her stupid ass out? I'm sure Oprah more than provides for her, and she's turned into a greedy pig, just like every igorant trashy person who comes into money does.
you can take the girl outta the ghetto ….but u can't take the ghetto out of the old bitch!!!
Hey, this reminds me of the housing crisis. People bought houses they couldn't afford. Now they are crying foul that they didn't understand the terms. But we're supposed to feel sorry for them???? And the government is supposed to bail them out? May O's mama can get some help from Obama or should I say Karl Marx?
Sounds a lot like the thinking that got the country into the current financial crisis. Idiot spends money it doesn't have. Store tries to collect. Deadbeat doesn't pay. Stupid store gives more credit to deadbeat consumer. Deadbeat wants compensation for mistakes and the audacity of stupid store to try and collect the money owed to them. Cheezits!!!
that's the typical black person's attitude! That's why I am not voting for Ob(s)ama for president!
Initially, I was like, geez, wouldn't Oprah pay her debts just to keep this out of the papers? But we don't know what kind of relationship Oprah has with her mother. Her mother might be one of those "user" family members that never supported her daughter when she needed her, but now coasts along on her name. A lot like the whole Christian Bale thing. Folks were ready to crucify him, until they learned what a piece of nasty work his mother and sister were. I'm willing to side with Oprah here, as long as she doesn't mind the bad press (and she's never seemed to have had a problem waving off bad press in the past).
SO IN OTHER WORDS…
.
SHE DEFAULTED ON ALMOST $200K, AND THEY TELL HER NO MORE UNTIL YOU'RE PAID UP!
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SHE PAYS UP, SO THE STORE NICELY SAYS, SINCE YOU ARE NOW PAID UP, WE WILL DO BUSINESS WITH YOU AGAIN!!
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O'S MOM BUYS ANOTHER NEAR $200K OF MERCHANDISE AND SAYS 'I DON'T WANNA PAY AND IT IS ***YOUR FAULT***!!!!
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JUST LIKE HER DAUGHTER!! LEECHY BEYATCH!!
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OPRAH SUCKING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OFF WOMEN FOR DECADES THEN WON'T EVEN ALLOW EITHER OF THE TRAILBLAZING WOMAN CANDIDATES ON HER SHOW, WHILE SHE HITS THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL FOR OBAMA!
.
BACK STABBING BEAST!
Wow, I love how Americans keep proving how racist they are! You people rock. After 100s of years, you are still the same. Is consistancy taught at klan camp?
Just pay the bill you worthless shady speer chucker. What a total ape.
I bet she was swilling Crystal with her krunk teeth in during those private showings.
she probably bitched and complained and made a fuss until they gave it to her…you know the customer is always right….
Where is Oprah's mom going, that she needs 200k worth of clothing?
It's not like she's attending openings and events.
Oprah needs to pay to make this go away. She can afford it, and she should look to her "higher spiritual power" for guidance, then do the right thing.
Why is her mom even charging anything to begin with? A woman who has a daughter worth a billion dollars, shouldn't be charging anything.
Oprah's mom lives in my building in Milwaukee. The reason she says she shouldn't have to pay is because of her lack of knowledge or capacity is true. She is very old and suffers from dementia-basically she doesn't know what is going on. She is a very nice and unassuming old lady who keeps to herself. The store should not have given her a credit account in the first place, but Oprah is filthy rich and should just bail her own mother out for god's sake. 200K to her is like a normal person getting a coffee from starbucks.
Re: NatTurner – Yes, some Americans love to be racist bigots. And it seems it doesn't have to taught .. just automatically passed down from generation to generation.
But please don't group us all together .. I would say 40-60% of all Americans ARE NOT representative of some of the ignorant beliefs stated on this site. Approximately half of all Americans believe in equality for all .. you know, just as it is written in our Constitution!
I do not think Oprah will bail out her mom. I think her mom knew what she was doing, she went and spent more money than she had, she did it again, and probably she did it because she thought her kiddo would bail her out. To me when you have as much money as Oprah or any other celeb, its very easy for family members and even some friends to take advantage of you financially. It like no money will ever help them because they will just want more, and more, and a lot of people who do this have a sence of entitlement.
Oprah's mom should be ashamed of herself for trying to take advantage of her daughters celeb. its not right.
I hope Oprah does not help her out. this woman is old enough to know that when you do wrong there are concequences.
sure obama will find a way to bail her out - maybe make the people who go to work and pay thier own bills pay her shopping tab…
Oprah gets on my nerves. She should be taking care of her mother….I don't get it. GREEDY. She needs to spend some time in the real world without all her money and without people waiting on her hand and foot. It has gone to her head big time.
Where is her mom even getting this money? Does she even work? She has to be like 75! Obviously the old bitch thinks she can get anything she wants cuz her daughter is Oprah! Oprah never even mentions her mom… do they have a good relationship?
The store should not have given her credit the second time around. They had been warned. But they didn't care because they could sell the paper off to some other sucker. Oprahs stepmom sounds like she is not to with it–Oprah should get her a senior sitter to keep her out of trouble. Oprah should not have to pay this off at this point. Shame on that store for taking advantage of an old woman who has a rich step daughter. They did know better but did not care. Folks, it's time we all start CARING for our neighbors again. What has happen to this country!
Harpo's looking quite stylish these days
You would think o would do the right thing for her momma and pay ALL her bills. she's got the money, why not….that's what a good son or daughter does………..same as with the messiah, he should send his half brother a 20 now and them maybe then he could live in a better HUT…..seems to me both o's are doing it for themselves and only themselves.
I don't think that's her step-mother - there's a picture of her I saw recently and she looks exactly like Oprah.
This isn't some second cousin - it's her mother. She should fix it. She can buy Hermes for Tina Turner, she can pay her mother's bills.
what a btch. she should just pay up but now shes hiring a lawyer and wasting more money.. stupid