Legal drama in between Tony Bennett's children carry on, and his eldest son reveals his dark past to bolster his case.

The rift in the music icon's family began last year when his daughters, Antonia and Johanna Bennettaccused his older brother, Danny Bennettdue to the abuse of custody rights before and after the father's death.

The women claimed their sibling was involved in "multiple conflicting fiduciary capacities", forcing them to demand a detailed accounting of Tony Bennett's assets. However, the eldest Bennett child refused to comply with their wishes, arguing that they had no right to see the estate's expenses.

According to court documents, Danny recently responded to his sisters' request to spend their late father's estate. He refused their request, noting that he played a significant role in Tony's successful career, especially his memorable comeback.

Danny claimed Tony credited him for turning his life around "after he hit rock bottom in the late 1970s, including a near-fatal cocaine overdose and a financial disaster that saw the IRS seize his Los Angeles home."

The RPM Productions founder was his father's manager from the 1970s until his retirement in 2021, a position he claimed Tony owed him when he won a Grammy for his comeback in 1995. His lawyer repeated similar views in the documents he obtained In Touchclaiming:

“Tony considered Danny one of his greatest assets. In addition to naming Danny cotrusteeTony also held Danny back be his personal manager and his business manager."

In addition to helping Tony turn his career around, Danny saw him step up after the jazz icon was unable to tour and arranged a lucrative deal on his behalf. He signed a contract for the sale of the singer's memorabilia, music copyrights and rights to his personality and publicity.

The contract, known as the "Iconoclastic Agreement", included a purchase price and a limited period of revenue streams from various projects. Danny added that he was "completely transparent" with his sisters about the details of the job, including the income generated.

Regarding Antonia and Johanna's request for an accounting of the estate, Danny argued that they had no legal right to see the finances before and after their father's death. His lawyer echoed his sentiment, noting:

"It just doesn't make sense to go to the expense and effort of accounting for a property that's been open for barely a year."

Antonia and Johanna did not dispute Danny's role in restoring their late father's image, but called him out for engaging in "self-dealing" before and after Tony's death. They claimed he provided "conflicting financial statements" about the estate.

Their allegations go on to claim "unexplained expenses totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more)". In addition, there were "substantial distributions, gifts and other payments made by Danny directly to himself or for his own benefit while wearing all possible fiduciary hats."

Antonia and Johanna claimed that Danny's actions before Tony's death "were anything but ordinary and raise serious concerns about the post-death period".

According to their complaint, he "acted in multiple, conflicting fiduciary capacities over an extended period prior to Tony's death and took (for himself and his children) substantial funds from the Family Trust."

Tony's daughters noticed that Danny had announced his diminished capacity before his death. They claimed that during this phase their father was unable to act as co-guardian, leaving their brother as the sole trustee of the unsupervised Family Trust.

Antonia and Johanna stressed that this was wrong because their father created a trust for his four children and intended to treat them equally. "It is crucial that all beneficiaries of the Family Trust can scrutinize Danny's behavior to ensure that Tony's wishes are carried out."

Bennett's children include another son, Dae, who is not involved in the legal battle. The accounting drama began in June 2024, a year after Tony's death in July 2023. The Blast reporting that Danny initially tried to delay the court hearing.

Last year, Danny asked the court to extend the accounting drama because his lawyer was recently hired and was unfamiliar with the case. The legal representative also stated that he and his partner had upcoming vacations and were unable to respond to the Bennet sisters' petition.

However, Antonia and Johanna refused Danny's request, insisting that they were owed a detailed accounting of their late father's estate. They dropped the counteroffer, noting that they would agree to an extension if their brother provided the required financial details within 45 days.

The sisters' fight to account for the estate began because of significant disparities in Tony's finances. They believed their father had earned over $100 million over the past 15 years, but his estate was worth just $7 million upon his death - a sum they argued deserved clarity.

Will Tony Bennet's children be able to settle their differences amicably?