Vanessa Amorosi has publicly discussed her difficult legal dispute with her mother, Joyleen Robinson, for the first time. The case centered around who owned a property in Narre Warren.
In 2023, the pop star won a legal case against Robinson, gaining full ownership of Robinson’s country home near Melbourne and a separate house in Los Angeles where Vanessa lives.
After a disagreement about money from her music ten years ago, Amorosi recently spoke publicly about the long-running conflict.
The singer thought she’d made over $10 million from her music career, but was shocked to discover she was actually bankrupt and couldn’t afford the payments on her house in Los Angeles.
Amorosi’s mother was handling her finances, and although there’s no evidence of wrongdoing, Amorosi wasn’t aware she was accumulating significant debt.
As a longtime follower of this case, it’s heartbreaking to hear Amorosi explain she felt she had no other option but to take legal action against her own mother. She was forced to sell everything she owned just to cover debts she didn’t even know existed – a truly awful situation, and she clearly felt backed into a corner.
Vanessa explained to 60 Minutes that people often ask her, “Why would you do that to your mother?” and she says it’s a really difficult question to answer.
She assumed I wouldn’t stand up for myself or would simply give up. It was really difficult to push through, because if I did give up, I’d still be left with a debt. That’s the situation I was in, she explained.
Amorosi’s legal win saw her mum evicted from the Narre Warren property this year.
The actress explains that she and her mother grew close because they both experienced abuse from her father, who has since passed away.
It really broke my heart listening to Amorosi talk about how she and her mother ended up relying on each other in an unhealthy way. They’d both been through so much trauma, and it was like they leaned on each other to cope, but it actually created a codependent relationship. It was so raw and emotional to hear her explain it.
She explained that when something upsetting happens, people naturally want to hold on tight. Growing up in her family, she especially felt a strong need to protect her mother, and she became emotional while talking about it, asking for a moment to compose herself.
The strong bond between them made Amorosi feel lonely and distrustful, as her mother had warned her against trusting people outside of their close circle.
I’ve noticed something really tough about achieving success. It feels like everyone suddenly has something to prove, and you start to feel targeted – even by people you thought you could trust, like friends or partners. It’s incredibly isolating, and you end up really relying on the very few people who remain supportive and stay within that protective circle around you.
During the interview, Vanessa strongly denied her mother’s assertion that she’d had an aneurysm, causing memory loss and making her susceptible to manipulation.
Vanessa was clearly furious, stating, “It’s a complete lie! To have my credibility attacked on national television, to be made out as if I’m not thinking clearly – it’s incredibly upsetting.”
‘It’s infuriating because it’s like you are taking away my credibility.’
Amorosi says she grew up feeling like her mother silenced her, and believes the reported aneurysm reflects that pattern. She describes feeling ‘trained’ to act in ways that would keep her mother happy.
The hitmaker says that she is heartbroken that she has lost her family over money.
She finished, tears welling up, by saying, “Everyone talks about a mother’s unconditional love, but honestly, hers wasn’t. And that’s the clearest way I can put it.”
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following Vanessa’s story, and it’s truly heartbreaking. Her mother, Joyleen, recently shared her biggest wish – to simply have her family back together, despite everything happening with the legal battles. It’s a reminder that even amidst conflict, the desire for family connection remains incredibly strong.
Even though she’s experiencing homelessness, Robinson says her biggest wish is to reconnect with her daughter, who she used to be very close to, and finally meet her grandson.
Robinson expressed deep affection for her home, but emphasized that her love for her daughter is even stronger. She also shared that the fractured relationship has left her heartbroken.
It breaks my heart, but I understand it’s been about ten years since Robinson last saw Vanessa, who moved to America back in 2017. Despite the distance and time, Robinson always makes it clear how much love she still has for her.
Tears welled up when asked if she thought her daughter loved her back, and Robinson simply replied, “I hope so, I really hope so.”
Offering a message for her estranged child, a tearful Robinson pleaded, ‘Come home.
It would be wonderful to have you back with the family. I’m really looking forward to finally meeting your little boy – my grandson! I haven’t had the chance to meet him yet.
The singer of “Absolutely Everybody” and her husband, Rod Busby – a Brazilian martial arts trainer – have a son named Killian, who was born in 2016. They married in 2017.
Robinson explained their falling out by citing pressures from the music industry and a health issue with her daughter, claiming her daughter had a brain aneurysm.
Robinson explained that after her aneurysm – a burst blood vessel in the brain – his mother’s personality shifted. She needed a lot of medication as part of her recovery.
It really hurt me when my daughter suddenly stopped talking to me. I thought it was so odd, and then she actually asked me how much money I earned! It was a really difficult and unexpected situation.
She said she received an email asking for information about her business. She and her daughter then wrote out the details and sent them in response.
‘I’m a very honest person, right? I don’t take nothing from anyone.’
Robinson previously shared with Daily Mail Australia her belief that her daughter sustained a brain injury over nine years ago, which caused some memory loss.
The heartbroken mother also thinks someone is influencing Vanessa and encouraging her to make choices about money.
She said people were constantly questioning the woman, repeatedly asking about her money. It was like they were pressuring her to reveal where it was.
Amorosi and her mother were locked in a legal battle following a major disagreement over properties they owned in Australia and the United States.
Robinson has owned a property in Narre Warren, a semi-rural area southeast of Melbourne, since 2001. The other property involved in this dispute is Amorosi’s current home in California.
In 2024, Supreme Court Justice Steven Moore decided that Amorosi could keep the properties, but she was required to repay her mother nearly $870,000.
The case went back to court in October after attempts to reach an agreement between the lawyers for the mother and daughter were unsuccessful.
In March 2021, Amorosi filed a lawsuit to become the sole owner of a trust that was originally shared with another woman.
The singer stated she purchased the properties with her own money, adding that her mother had generously gifted her a substantial amount of the earnings she made.
Robinson filed a countersuit, stating the house in Narre Warren was purchased for her benefit, and that she and her partner had reached this agreement while at the kitchen of their former home.
The agreement reportedly stated that if the singer faced money problems, Ms. Robinson would refund the original $650,000 she paid.
In 2014, she used $710,000 from the proceeds of their old house to reduce Amorosi’s $1.2 million California mortgage, stating this satisfied their agreement.
However, Justice Moore determined that the supposed ‘kitchen agreement’ was never actually made. As a result, Robinson was ordered to be repaid $650,000, along with $219,486 in interest.
Last October, the court heard that Robinson initially stated the trust was intended to benefit the entire Amorosi family, but he later dropped that claim.
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2025-09-28 15:20