The late singer Tony Bennett’s children are currently in a legal dispute over their father’s estate, with his two daughters accusing their brother of mishandling and failing to be transparent about several assets in his role as trustee.
Bennett, a renowned American singer who released more than 70 albums and won 19 competitive Grammys, died last July at the age of 96, leaving his estate in the hands of his oldest son. There was no specific cause of death, but he had been living with Alzheimer’s disease since being diagnosed in 2016.
In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday in New York by his two daughters Antonia and Johanna Bennett, they allege D’Andrea (Danny) Bennett did not account for all of the proceeds from this year’s sale of Tony Bennett’s catalogue and certain image rights to the brand development firm Iconoclast.
Another brother, Daegal “Dae” Bennett, and Tony’s widow, Susan Benedetto, were also named in the lawsuit.
The court filing says that “it remains unclear what music assets (and other property) were or were not sold as part of the deal” as the sisters “have not been provided with various details of the transaction despite repeated requests.”
“Although Danny and his counsel have provided piecemeal information and produced some documents to petitioners’ counsel, the information provided raises more questions than answers and fails to provide anything close to an accounting of Tony’s assets and financial affairs,” the document reads.
The lawsuit further alleges that Danny Bennett “obtained personal benefits for himself and his company” from transactions such as the sale of memorabilia, made on behalf of Tony Bennett, the family trust and Benedetto Arts LLC.
Danny, who was his father’s manager and runs the family trust, has not yet commented on the pending lawsuit.
The two sisters are seeking unspecified “equitable relief” as well as a full accounting and inventory of the trust, demanding that Danny turn over receipts, disbursements, expenditures and tax returns.
