Grillo, who is currently being tried for fraud along with her sister Francesca after spending around 685,000 pounds on a credit card belonging to the TV chef and her ex-husband Saatchi, allegedly made the claim after being confronted about her spending spree, a court heard.
According to Saatchi's finance director Rahul Gajjar the 41-year-old former employee became "agitated" when the art dealer outlined a contract for monthly repayments to be made by her and her sister, reported The Guardian
However, after being presented with the contract, which would require Grillo to pay 1,000 pounds-a-month and Francesca to pay 250 pounds-a-month, the sisters hit back, insisting Lawson, 53, had given them permission to spend as they pleased in exchange for their silence about her alleged drug abuse.
"After Charles' proposal, Lisa got quite agitated. They both weren't very happy," Gajjar told Isleworth Crown Court.
The court heard how Grillo spent, on average, 48,000 pounds a month, while her sister clocked up credit card bills of 28,000 pounds.