Tony Bennett's Children in Legal Battle, Daughters Accuse Brother of 'Mismanagement' of Family Trust
Tony Bennett‘s children are fighting over their father’s money.
Antonia and Johanna Bennett, the daughters of late music legend, have accused brother, Danny of allegedly mismanaging their father’s money and their family trust.
The siblings have been battling legally since June of 2024, a year after his death in July 2023 at the age of 96.
The sisters sued Danny, who is the sole trustee of the Tony Bennett 1994 Family Trust, over assets they alleged were unaccounted for after their father’s death, per the New York Post. Antonia and Johanna’s brother Dae is also listed as a beneficiary.
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Danny submitted a motion in November seeking to have the case transferred to the surrogate’s court or dismissed, according to the report.
However, on January 3, Antonia and Johanna filed a motion asking the court to reject Danny’s request, sharing “serious concerns” about what they claim as Danny’s “mismanagement” of his fiduciary duties, according to the court documents.
“Danny acted in multiple, conflicting fiduciary capacities for an extended period prior to Tony’s death and took (for himself and his children) significant funds from the Family Trust,” the sisters allege.
“Moreover, as publicized by Danny to various media outlets, at some point prior to Tony’s death, Tony entered a phase of diminished capacity, which means Tony was no longer able to act as co-Trustee, leaving Danny to serve as sole Trustee of the Family Trust with no oversight.”
The sisters claim there was a “lack of transparency” and allege Danny was acting unsupervised.
“[Tony] expressed a clear intention and direction in his estate plans that all four of his children be treated equally,” the filing reads.
The sisters claim Danny issued checks from the trust to himself “as he saw fit,” citing alleged transactions in 2022, and said he made “multiple gifts to himself” totaling $200,700. They’re also claiming Danny took monthly advances of $50,000 starting in 2021 on top of his business management commission, even though the payments weren’t formally approved until 2022.
A source close to Danny Bennett said to the New York Post: “Tony and Danny Bennett have worked together for over 40 years, and the record of their successful partnership speaks for itself.”
“Tony thoughtfully planned his estate to reflect his wishes and generously provided for his loved ones. Danny has always acted in Tony’s best interest and has worked diligently to ensure his father’s plans were honored and carried out. It is unfortunate and sad that some are choosing to dispute his decisions rather than honoring Tony’s legacy.”
For more from the legal paperwork, head to nypost.com.
Lady Gaga recently remembered Tony on the anniversary of his death.