Did Oprah bail her mom out? Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast, AP
Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, who resides in Milwaukee, WI, is finally settling a financial dispute after she was sued in 2008 for not paying a $155,547 bill she racked up at local high-end department store Valentina, the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports.
Lee's lawyer argued that the store should have known better than to give Lee credit, given that she still had an outstanding balance on an earlier bill. However, it looks like Lee will indeed pony up a portion of the cash to the retailer, according to one of Valentina's co-owners who spoke to the Journal Sentinel.
"We're happy with what transpired," co-owner Tom Chirchirillo told the paper. "We can go on with our lives; they can go on with theirs."
This bad credit saga began in July 2008, when, as The Boston Globe reported, Valentina filed suit against Lee for failing to make the store's minimum monthly payments of $2,000 in order to pay off her six-figure debt. The store also said that Lee denied owing any money.
With Oprah's billionaire status, we also weren't surprised to learn that TMZ is reporting that Lee might have been bailed out by her famous daughter.
Luckily, it won't be dragging on much longer. On December 7th, the Journal Sentinel reports, a judge will finalize the settlement.