April 16, 2025 / Press
Neil Solarz Weighs in on Lengthy Legal Battle Over Tony Bennett’s Estate in Wealth Management
Neil Solarz recently spoke to Wealth Management about the unfolding legal battle among Tony Bennett’s children over control and distribution of the late singer’s estate.
Neil first discussed this case with Wealth Management in July of 2024, when Bennett’s two daughters, Johanna and Antonia, filed a lawsuit against their brother, Danny, seeking an accounting of their father’s assets amidst allegations that he was withholding information and failing to account for sales of Bennett’s music catalog and image rights proceeds.
As the legal battle has ensued, a new lawsuit filed by Tony’s daughters in March of 2025 further alleges mismanagement and self-dealing by the estate’s trustees, and raises broader questions around fiduciary responsibility and the risks of appointing family members to oversee high-value trusts.
“Trustees have a litany of fiduciary duties under the probate code,” Neil explains, “including the duties to treat all beneficiaries equally, to avoid self-dealing, and to provide necessary information.”
Neil adds that the case underscores the importance of legal safeguards when diminished capacity or potential elder abuse is involved, with case documents detailing allegations that Danny took advantage of Tony’s diminished capacity as the singer battled Alzheimer’s before his death.
“Unfortunately, as elder abuse cases have recently gained more traction, it’s a good idea to get a psychiatric exam when dealing with an elderly client where one or more children are favored over the others,” Neil shares.