Oprah Winfrey's Mother Sues Store Over Unpaid Bill 10/1/08

Latest: Oprah Winfrey's mother is countersuing the bosses of a high-end Wisconsin fashion store who filed a lawsuit against her over an unpaid store account.

Last month (Sep08), bosses at Valentina Inc. claimed Winfrey's mother Vernita Lee has been enjoying perks from the store and special deliveries since the beginning of 2004 - and that she had stopped paying for them.

Lee was required to make a minimum monthly payment of $2,000 (£1,080) to the store in an effort to settle her huge bill.

But the mother of America's most famous talk-show host is contesting the bill, insisting store officials shouldn't have extended her credit.

Lee filed her counterclaim on Friday (26Sep08) claiming the store took advantage of her "lack of knowledge, ability, and/or capacity" when offering her more credit.

According to reports, Lee resolved a similar case with the store in 2002, in which bosses at Valentina were banned from increasing Lee's in-store credit limit.