Australian performer Vanessa Amorosi claims she had no control over her finances because her mother took over early in her career under the guise of protecting her.
The 42-year-old is suing her mother Joyleen Robinson in the Victorian Supreme Court for full ownership of two properties bought as a result of her success.
One is an eight-hectare property in Narre Warren in Melbourne's southeast, while the second is Amorosi's current residence in California.
Amorosi gave evidence to the court on Thursday, repeatedly taking small breaks to wipe away tears and compose herself.
She said from the start of her career, her mother told her not to trust anyone but her when it came to her finances.
"She was very fearful of people wanting to steal the money," Amorosi told the court.
A trust was set up by Mrs Robinson in 1999, where all of Amorosi's income from sales, royalties and touring was funnelled.
About $650,000 from that trust was used to buy the Narre Warren property in 2001, after Amorosi told her mother she wanted to buy her first home.
She claimed her mother bought the property before she even saw it and Mrs Robinson also listed her own name on the title as joint-owner.
"When I first saw the house, I was a little disappointed. I didn't want a massive house like that," Amorosi told the court.
In 2005, Amorosi bought another home in Officer using another trust created by her mother to control all her assets.
She told the court she had to take out a loan for the property even though she was making millions of dollars.
Amorosi said she never sought advice before signing any mortgages or guarantees with the bank, instead she just signed the documents at her mother's request.
The 42-year-old eventually moved to California for career opportunities and to be with a boyfriend, and she bought a place there.
She used the Narre Warren and Officer properties, as well as two residential units, to secure the loan for the house.
Amorosi told the court she understood the Officer property and the units would be sold to pay down the mortgage but that didn't eventuate.
She had to instead sell that Californian home in 2014 because she could no longer afford the property.
Amorosi told the court when she confronted her mother about her finances, Mrs Robinson accused her of spending it all.
"She said I should come back home and get back to working and touring," Amorosi told the court.
"I was pretty angry."
The singer-songwriter said that confrontation led to their falling out and prompted her to seek legal action.
As part of her case, Amorosi is seeking full ownership of her current Californian residence, which was bought through one of the trust accounts not long after she sold her previous American property.
The trust is listed as the owner of her current home so she's seeking to have the property in her name.
She's also seeking full ownership of the Narre Warren home, of which she owns 50 per cent.
But Mrs Robinson claims there was an agreement between the pair where she could own the Narre Warren property in full if she paid Amorosi $650,000.
Amorosi denies there was any agreement in place.
The 42-year-old will continue her evidence before Justice Steven Moore on Friday.
