Tony Bennett’s two daughters, Antonia and Johanna, have sued their brother Danny, who managed his late father’s career, alleging he entered into deals on behalf of his father that illegally enriched himself at the expense of his siblings. And that includes the big rights deal announced last year with legacy management agency Iconoclast.
Since Tony’s death in July 2023, a new lawsuit states, “Johanna and Antonia have discovered that Danny exercised complete and unchecked control” over his father and his financial affairs “prior to and following his death”, and that he “abused and continues to abuse" that position of power “for his own significant financial gain”.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit explains that Danny, Tony’s eldest child, was his father’s personal and professional manager with power of attorney, meaning he could act on his father’s behalf in legal matters. He also managed his father’s company Benedetto Arts and is trustee of a family trust.
His sisters allege that, in the years prior to Tony’s death, Danny exploited his father’s diminished capacity due to Alzheimer’s disease to make deals that netted him and his own company millions, against his father’s wishes and to the detriment of other family members.
As a result, they claim, Danny, his company and his children have benefited from “excessive and unearned commissions” and “substantial loans and gifts”, in doing so diminishing Tony’s total assets which, under his will, were meant to split equally between his four children.
The Iconoclast deal saw the legacy management company secure Tony’s brand and likeness rights, as well as some rights and royalty interests in relation to his music. Commenting on the deal at the time Danny said, “In working with Tony for over 40 years, my philosophy was always that I didn’t manage a career but, rather, I managed a legacy. Iconoclast will continue this tradition”.
Danny is yet to respond to the lawsuit filed by his sisters, though he previously denied allegations of mismanagement when Antonia and Johanna went legal last year in a bid to get access to the family trust’s accounts and financial reporting.
His lawyers said that his sisters’ claims were baseless, stressing that Tony trusted his son completely while he was still alive, and frequently credited Danny with reviving his career, as well as addressing and ending previous issues with his business and financial affairs.