Oprah Winfrey's mom is refusing to pay back a $155K bill to a clothing store, and her defense is basically to play dumb.
Vernita Lee claims she shouldn't have to pay the gigantic bill to Valentina, a boutique in Wisconsin, because they took advantage of her "lack of knowledge ... and/or capacity" when they opened the account, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. What's more, her lawyer says the store didn't disclose finance charges prominently enough.
And to think, this could all go away with the change lying around Oprah's chintz-covered cushions.
Oprah's Mom -- I Can't Read the Small Print!
10/1/2008 9:07 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
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Whatajoke
Watched the news at noon & saw a picture of the Valentina store with a HUGE sale sign covering all the front windows...I guess with a "customer" like Oprabama's mom, you have to do SOMETHING to stay in business....LOL!
R.Zimmerman
Does this really surprise anyone??
silliewillie
stop the hate.anyone who knows anything about oprah knows that she had a very poor childhood.so her mom may not be to educated.but im sure the owners of the boutique knows who her daughter is.so what is more likely oprahs mom won't pay her bill or these people are trying to take advantage.nothing in wisconsin cost 155,000.
Candie
metnwt said:
âthe previous post all want to blame the ecomonic situation on people taking advantage of the system and looking for hand outs and that is just not the case!"
That's exactly the case! Perhaps you didn't take advantage of the system, but millions have. How can you dispute that? And how is walking away from any debt and asking that it all be forgiven not looking for a handout? Who do you think foots that bill?
People without the means to repay their debt had absolutely no business buying a home or using excessive credit. And the wheels of the current economic situation were put into motion long before this administration took office. You think this all happened as a result of conservative spending? Absolutely not! The previous administration made this all possible, and the fallout was inevitable. And I'm certainly not going to sing the praises of the Bush Administration, either, but you simply cannot seriously hold them solely responsible.
Personally, I have many friends (and even family members) who jumped right on board the reckless spending boat. While they were buying their McMansions, luxury cars, and taking their fancy vacations, we shook our heads, continued to work hard, and saved as much as possible, living within our means. They had a ball. They also lost everything, most of them walking away from their big mortgages and ultimately filing bankruptcy (and divorce). The bubble burst. They fell. And the rest of us are paying the price for their financial mismanagement. Do I think it's unfortunate and show them compassion? Yes. But do I think it's the fault of the Bush Administration because my friends bit off more than they could ultimately chew? Heck no! They were dreamers, not realist.
That said, those who have contributed to this situation need to be held accountable...whether it's the chairman of the finance committee, the CEO of a lending/financial institution, the person who signed the mortgage agreement, or even Oprah Winfrey's mother. These people knew what they were doing when they took on their financial responsibilities and the rest of us shouldn't have to pay the price for their inability to live up to their obligations.
pattijen
So Oprah's momma isn't smart enough to know that you have to pay for something when you get it? I don't think so. It's a shame that she (or her daughter Oprah) will probably pay more on lawyer's fees to get out of paying her bill, then the merchandise was worth. Or both she and her daughter Oprah would be dragging out the old race card and saying they're being picked on because they're black, and not not because they're trying to get out of paying for stuff they bought. Pretty sad.
iknowpopculture
Candie,
I agree with some of your observations, so I will just say let's agree to disagree. This is a sad time for our Country and whatever the reasons are, we are here now! This blog was aimed toward Oprah's mother and basically I could care less about the rich and spoiled! My husband and I have worked very hard to have the things in life we do. As I said, we purchased our house in 1996 with the thought process that if someone should loose their job, one income would be enough to sustain our household! That said, I'm one of the fortunate ones, but there are others where both incomes have been lost! How do hard working honest people deal with that?!
mimie
Just how old is this woman?
She is getting thousands from Oprah each
month. Oprah should pay for a
minder for her, too. They are both
deadbeats if Oprah let this drag on.
Gerri orlando
Hmm...If Venitta Lee is Oprahs mother..why havent we heard about her before now. Seems Oprah is hiding her own mother?????? I dont understand that in alol these years Oprah never had her mother on the show. Seems to me that Oprah is a Liar.....and a phoney. Not to recognize ones mother should say something about Oprahs real character..I say its MONEY, MONEY, MONEY...........
loni
#60, well said Candie!! I am so tired of people saying all this is Bush's fault. Is there anything that isn't Bush's fault? I'm not a big fan of his but people forget that Clinton had the internet dot com bubble and Bush had 911 and a war. Makes a big difference. As far as Oprah's mom, I still think no matter what the mom's faults are, she is still her mom and she can afford to help her. If for no other reason, her mom gave birth to her.
Love Those Teenage Girls
Wow, Oprah's mom is not that bright, apparently.
She's also not that light, apparently. I think she's hiding something else in that 'neck roll' of hers.
My Name Be Balack Obama, And I Like To Watch The Oprah Show.
that's all
HEY OAFRA! PAY THE DAMN BILL! GIMME GIMME GIMME! SO SICK OF IT!
that's all
i BET OAFRA HAS SENT MILLIONS T OBAMA THOUGH AND WON'T PAY THE DAMN BILL HER FAT MOTHER RAN UP! GIMME GIMME GIMME!
Diedra
#60 and #66 are completely correct. It was Bill Clinton who pushed for and signed into effect the bill
to allow people who normally could not afford purchasing a home. There is a reason these
people (who include men, women, blacks, whites, asians...you name it) would not qualify for a home
loan. Pres. Clinton wanted everyone to have ownership regardless....now we see what happens when
people are given something they cannot possibly afford. The rest of us will be paying for this mistake.
The Republicans tried to warn these committees in 2004 that this was a problem that would burst, but
Rep. Barney Frank (D) and the like said they found nothing wrong with Fannie and Freddie. Now it comes
home to roost!!!! Sound familiar...
bf
Oprah has a mom?
JueBlue
She is disgusting. Maybe if she got off her fat a** and is forced to work some...... She's paving the way for every idiot out there so they don't have to take responsibility for their actions. I suppose it's the food companies fault that she's fat too??