Vanessa Amorosi launches legal action against mother to reclaim ‘missing’ earnings

Vanessa Amorosi has launched Supreme Court action against her estranged mother, Joyleen Robinson.

According to a statement of claim, the Los Angeles based multi-Platinum singer songwriter has been fighting since 2014 to gain control of her finances from her mother.

Robinson set up a company Vanjoy in September 1999 into which income was paid when Amorosi signed record and management deals when still at school at age 17.

Not long after, her second single ‘Absolutely Everybody’ was a hit in Australia and Europe, including the UK and Germany where it went Gold.

Her first album The Power was certified Platinum, and Amorosi toured the world.

She went on to sell an estimated 2 million records, and continues to this day to tour and releases music via the Angel Works indie distributed by Universal Music.

The 39-year old singer songwriter claims in court documents that money from Vanjoy went to Robinson in management fees or in trusts that benefited family members and “persons unknown”.

In one example, Robinson’s companies allegedly paid the singer an income of $862,512 in 2000-01. Of that money, $390,000 was used to pay off a mortgage on a house in the outer Melbourne suburb of Narre Warren in which Robinson and her husband live, the court documents claim.

Amorosi is asking for “equitable compensation” for the money paid to others, to be made a trustee of one of the trusts set up by Robinson, and for the Narre Warren property to be sold and the proceeds given to her.