Tony Bennett’s Daughters Expand Battle Against Brother With New Lawsuit: ‘Unchecked Control’
Written by djfrosty on April 1, 2025
Tony Bennett’s daughters have expanded their legal battle against their older brother, claiming in a new lawsuit that he has “abused” his power over the late singer’s affairs to “enrich himself.”
Echoing allegations from a separate case they filed last year, Antonia and Johanna Bennett accuse D’Andrea “Danny” Bennett of “improper and unlawful conduct” in his role as trustee of the family estate, both before and after the legendary singer’s 2023 death.
They say the legal action is necessary to “protect their father’s wishes,” which were that all four of his children “be treated equally.”
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“Since Tony’s death, Johanna and Antonia have discovered that Danny exercised complete and unchecked control over Tony and his financial affairs prior to and following his death through multiple fiduciary and other roles of authority that Danny has abused, and continues to abuse, for his own significant financial gain,” attorneys for the Bennett sisters write in the Monday filing.
Among other allegations, Antonia and Johanna say Danny paid himself “excessive and unearned commissions” and gave “substantial loans and gifts to himself and his children” prior to the singer’s death: “Danny engaged in these improper transactions without accountability or oversight of any kind, freely using and controlling Tony’s assets and trust assets often as if they were Danny’s own.”
Antonia and Johanna first sued Danny in a petition filed last summer in the same New York court, but that case sought only to force Danny to open the books for the family trust. The new filing is more of an outright lawsuit, accusing him of various forms of wrongdoing and is seeking monetary damages.
An attorney for Danny did not immediately return a request for comment on the allegations Tuesday.
In court filings in the earlier case, Danny’s lawyers have argued that he was “fully authorized to take the steps he took” and that Bennett had “specifically excluded his daughters from ever having any role in such matters after his death.” They also say he has been “fully transparent” about the details of the Iconoclast deal, including providing them with the full agreement and a detailed breakdown of income.
“The undisputed facts establish that Tony provided Danny with authority to manage his affairs and business opportunities, and that Danny did so honestly and in an appropriate manner,” his attorney wrote in a February filing seeking to dismiss the case. “Ironically, Petitioners, despite their baseless complaints, are the beneficiaries of Danny’s hard work and devotion to his father.”
Like the earlier case, Monday’s lawsuit repeatedly references last year’s sale of Bennett’s likeness rights and other intellectual property to the firm Iconoclast. Antonia and Johanna say Danny earned millions from that deal and had “clear conflicts of interest” when he executed it, but has refused to provide them with a clear accounting of the proceeds or other key information about the sale.
“Danny’s explanation for the timing and reasons for the Iconoclast transaction contradict the financial information Danny has provided and fail to establish in any way that the transaction was appropriate, properly valued, free of conflicts of interest and improper self-dealing, and in the best interest of the beneficiaries,” attorneys for the daughters write.
Iconoclast is not accused of any wrongdoing in the lawsuit. The company, which describes itself as “dedicated to preserving and growing the legacy of culturally significant artists,” did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.
The daughters also claim that Danny mishandled Bennett’s physical property after his death, doing so in a “malicious and retaliatory manner” simply because they had asked for more transparency into the financial affairs.
“Danny prohibited Johanna and Antonia from retaining certain items that are priceless to them, and he kept them from even entering Tony’s apartment to see these items for a prolonged period of time,” their lawyers write. “Danny also discarded items of tremendous sentimental value to Johanna and Antonia without notice.”