Kobe to Maid -- You Can Sue, But You Can't Talk!

Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa have filed a cross-complaint against their former maid -- but all they really want is for her to keep her mouth shut.

Launch docs

According to court docs filed yesterday, the Bryants fully acknowledge Maria Jimenez's right to battle them in court -- although they say her claims of abuse are "without merit." What the Bryants are really concerned with is the confidentiality agreement they claim Jimenez signed when she was hired in 2007 -- which prevents her from talking to the press and other third parties.

The Bryants feel, according to the docs, that Jimenez's press tour following her lawsuit is in violation of that agreement.

Jimenez is suing the Bryants, specifically claiming Vanessa was incredibly abusive -- even demanding that she put her hand in a bag of dog feces to retrieve a tag from her blouse

They are all due back in court in July.

UPDATE: William Vogeler, potential Kobe-stopper and lawyer for Maria Jimenez has just released an exclusive statement to TMZ.

"The Bryants claim that they treated Maria Jimenez with the utmost respect, yet they want to silence her from talking about it. Fortunately, my client has a First Amendment right to talk about how they treated her.

Ultimately, a judge and jury will decide what really happened in the Bryant's home, And the last time I checked, the court is open to the public."




Tags: kobe bryant, KobeBryant, lakers, lawsuit, maid, vanessa bryant, VanessaBryant

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(Page 3 of 3) Previous 15 Comments

31. Is that a picture of his wife or the maid???? Cause somebody needs to get their jacked up grill fixed asap

Posted at 3:45AM on May 24th 2009 by B

32. Vanessa is a world class BITCH. I used to work at a dept store she would shop at and she expected everyone to know who she is. All the sales people were just like you're the wife of someone famous; you're NOT famous. One time she was outside sitting in the cafe and someone whispered something, nothing about her, and she just assumed it was about her and said "oh no! they know who I am... let's go I dont want people asking to take pictures with me" WTF she needs to get over herself ASAP!!

Posted at 4:03AM on May 24th 2009 by anonymous

33. This is directed to everyone that responded to my comment. It is interesting that you were not intelligent enough to understand that I was not defending Kobe. I was merely responding to the idiot that injected race in to the conversation. I wrote, read and reread my comment,and I don't see how anyone could say I was defending him. Unless, you are an idiot who can't comprehend simple phrases. Cheers!!!!

Posted at 6:13AM on May 24th 2009 by Beltifi

34. All the vampires that I like are in TWILIGHT...so Vannessa COUNT DRACULA Bryant, get some therapy {EVERYDAY...even on HOLIDAYS}...the fact that you would degrade a hard working woman like your "Maid" to satisfy your sadistic craving for authority is disgraceful. "GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY"...and your insides seem to be rotting so please get yourself together...

Posted at 10:32AM on May 24th 2009 by PurpleHazeHempress

35. @ Kobe Bryant...u are also to blame for tolerating this madness of a wife around other humans...SHAME ON YOU KOBE....GO NUGGETS!

Posted at 10:34AM on May 24th 2009 by PurpleHazeHempress

36. I swear, people buying into this are stupid. He didn't rape that girl, and this made has no real case... It's all stupid. I'm amazed at how many Kobe haters are in here.

HE DID NOT RAPE THAT GIRL. SHE WANTED IT, AND HE GAVE IT TO HER... SURE HE CHEATED, BUT THAT IS NOT RAPE.

Why would KOBE BRYANT need to rape a girl? Come on now people, use your heads.

Posted at 11:12AM on May 24th 2009 by AllYouMorons

37. Mrs Bryant is just taking out her anger for her two timing husband on the maid, maybe hes been looking at the maid?
Anyhow, any woman that sticks with a man after he admits to the entire world that he cheated on his wife is an idiot. He is cheating now with someone and always will be. Take him for half of everything he has and leave the employees along!

Posted at 4:52PM on May 24th 2009 by malcontent

38. If someone is working for someone that mistreats them and they stay on for months or years and then at some point just quits them or is fired and then decides to sue - something is wrong with that. If someone mistreated me - I would leave that day or that instant - not put up with it for years. So when I hear some of these cases they sound a little off to me. If you work for a famous person and sign a confidentiality agreement then you signed a binding contract and like it or not you should stick to it.

Posted at 9:02PM on May 24th 2009 by Dlveme

39. Vanessa Bryant is discusting! what a discusting person to make someone do that. Kobe needs to grow some balls and leave that pig! but we all know - she is going to take him to the cleaners.. no pun intended....

Posted at 2:01PM on May 26th 2009 by Pamela

40. 39. Vanessa Bryant is disgusting! what a disgusting person to make someone do that. Kobe needs to grow some balls and leave that pig! but we all know - she is going to take him to the cleaners.. no pun intended.... (my last comment had a typo) haha

Posted at 2:04PM on May 26th 2009 by Pamela

41. In the American workplace, folks have to contend with abusive supervisors. Last year or so, thre was a case on super fashionable Fifth Avenue (also known as the Gold Coast) where a prominent real estate broker resided. I think she conducted her business out her her expensive apartment. She was quite abusive. She had a black woman who worked for her. One day the sister could not take the verbal abuse any longer and beat this woman down in a fit of rage. She killed her. Understand that the neighborhood where the murder this occured is a place where apartments run $20-30 million easily. Again: $20-30 MILLION!

In the case of Kobe and his wife, well, you have a situation where you have a basketball players who has been coddled all of his life and an upstart who hit paydirt--which is to say she married Kobe shortly after she experienced her first period. Now, I don't want to be the judge, but most mature brothers at the age of 25 are not hitting on 17 year old girls (are they?), let alone trying to marry them. Vanessa has the complexion for the connection as they say in the street.

These people can try to make KOBE into MJ all they want. The same goes for LEBRON. Neither one of them will have the kind of impact that MJ had on the NBA and world business! And Kobe and Lebron realize this. MJ did not have a pre-nup when he married Juanita. Big mistake. When he divorced her, I believe he had to pay her roughly $325 million (plus property.) Check the figure for yourself.

Kobe does not have a prenup either--meaning that when the big D-day does come, homegirl is getting half of everything! And that might break Kobe. Plus child support. So, that pink $4 million ring he gavehis wife after he banged that white girl (rape or not) was based on a cost benefit analysis!

Finally, this entire celebrity thing in this nation is completely out of control. Anybody with a few quarters, literate or not, can become a celebrity and then the masses hang on to their every move. Have you ever seen tKobe give an interview after a game? What the hell is he talking about? That's my basic response. Also, what does his wife do all day? Does she do anything to benefit children who are not as rich or anything that make a contribution to poorer communities in LA? She has no discernable education. Not at all. And this is one of the reasons, aside from getting the dough, why Kobe's parents were against the marraige in the first place.

I hope that the maid, if her allegations are true, gets her money and can make a living. That's all. It is hard out here and Kobe and his wife should recognize that they are fortunate to have the kind of money they have and should demonstrate some damn humility! But, this is par for the course when you are young and dumb!

Posted at 5:20PM on Jun 17th 2009 by THINK

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