Australian pop star Vanessa Amorosi denies lying to ASIC amid bitter court feud with mother

Aussie pop star Vanessa Amorosi has shot down suggestions she lied to the financial regulator as she accuses her mother of mismanaging her money and leaving her with “nothing”.

Vanessa Amorosi’s mother Joyleen Robinson arrives at the Supreme Court of Victoria. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Pop star Vanessa Amorosi denies she lied to Australia’s financial regulator, as she took to the witness box for a second day amid a bitter property dispute with her mother.

The Melbourne-born singer, 42, is suing her mother Joyleen Robinson in the Supreme Court over the ownership of two properties held in separate family trusts, one in Narre Warren and the other in California where she lives.

Under cross-examination by Ms Robinson’s lawyer Daniel Harrison on Friday, Ms Amorosi shot down suggestions she made a false statement to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission when she deregistered her touring company Road Runner.

In a declaration form shown to the court, Ms Amorosi said her company was not involved in any legal disputes despite it being listed as part of her current lawsuit.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, I’m lying or I was being deceitful, but I was closing the company down because I wasn’t going to use it,” she said.

Earlier, she described how she fell out with her family in 2015 after realising she had “nothing left” despite owning many assets and began investigating where her money was.

Vanessa Amorosi says her mother took control of her finances in the early 2000s. Picture: Nicki Connolly

In one email shown to court, Ms Amorosi called her mother “f--king disgusting” in reply to a suggestion she had been paid rent money from a property that wasn’t hers.

Ms Amorosi, who rose to stardom with the single Absolutely Everybody, had earlier told the court her mother took control of her finances by establishing various trusts as her career took off in the early 2000s.

On Friday, she denied suggestions she had filed the lawsuit because she was in a poor financial situation, also rejecting her mother’s claim that she had spent all her money.

The legal dispute centres around a 20-acre Narre Warren property Ms Amorosi bought in 2001 for $650,000 and is jointly owned with her mother.

The singer is seeking full ownership or a court order that it be sold, claiming the property was her mother’s “dream home” and she was convinced to split the title because she was told it would financially protect her.

Amorosi denies suggestions she is suing her mother because she is in a bad financial situation. Picture: David Crosling

But Ms Robinson, who still lives on the property, claims there was a verbal agreement in 2001 that she would take full control if she repaid Ms Amorosi the purchase price.

Ms Amorosi denies the conversation ever took place.

Mr Harrison grilled the singer during cross examination, showing her various documents, including bank statements, mortgage documents and legal letters, some dating back decades, which she claimed to have little or no recollection of.

“You don’t have a very good memory full stop,” he said.

“I disagree,” Ms Amorosi replied.

Summarising his case, Mr Harrison said the trial was about which of the two women was more believable.

“It ultimately comes down to … two people who have a different account of what did and didn’t happen in a particular conversation,” he said.

“Your honour will have to weigh up whose account is more believable.”

Ms Amorosi is also seeking control of a property in California where she lives but is held in the name of a trust directed by her stepfather and Ms Robinson’s husband.

She had earlier told the court her mother taught her from a young age not to trust anyone else with her finances.

The singer was supported in court by her former manager and Australian Idol judge Mark Holden, who discovered her singing at a Russian restaurant in Carnegie in the late 1990s.

Her estranged mother was supported in court by other family members.

The trial will continue next week.