The children of a late guitarist who played lead for Bob Dylan in the mid-late 1960s have sued his widow over allegations of alleged elder abuse.
The adult offspring of the renowned Robbie Robertson filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, naming Janet Zuccarini, a well-known Toronto restaurateur, as a defendant.
She wed Robertson months before his death this past August at age 80, and now the late musician’s kid claims she was taking advantage of him in his waning years, especially when it came to the ownership of a Beverly Hills ‘trophy home’.
That residence once belonged to the producer of Little Shop of Horrors David Geffen, and was purchased by the pair based on an agreement that they would share ownership of the home equally
However, the lawsuit claims Robertson – one the founding members of famed Americana group The Band – covered the $1.8 million down payment in full, and cites how within two years, Xuccarini allegedly convinced him to elope.
The children of Robbie Robertson, a renowned guitarist who played lead for Bob Dylan in the mid-late 1960s before dying last year, have sued his widow – 58-year-old Janet Zuccarini (seen with the guitarist in 2019) over allegations of ‘elder abuse’
Delphine, Alexandra and Sebastian Robertson filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, naming Zuccarini, a well-known Toronto restaurateur, as a defendant
This, the suit states, happened in a private ceremony ‘kept secret’ from the artist’s kids, while Robertson’s health and mental capacity was in decline.
Prior to the 2023 wedding, Zuccarini, 58, allegedly had Robertson sign a prenup, as well an amended Tenant In Common agreement that stated if one of them died, the estate of the deceased would continue to pay half of the mortgage.
This left the guitarist’s estate and trust, Adriane Hibbert and David Jackel, on the hook, and led them to wage the current case against Zuccarini.
Robertson’s three kids, fellow musician Sebastian, Delphine, and Alexandra, are now part of the suit, which alleges Zuccarini financially abused their father to inherit part of his estate.
‘A great time for marriage,’ the suit states of Zuccarini’s alleged mindset at the time, arranging a private wedding away from the musician’s family in March 2023
She then had Robertson, who played with The Band from their inception until 1978, sign the prenuptial agreement, knowing he ‘was no longer able to read and would not comprehend the true import of what he was signing.’
She then saw an ‘opportunity to embark on a marriage with a sick and dying man,’ before getting Robinson to spend some $175,957 on renovations and $3,381.31 on ‘furniture and furnishings’ on the Beverly Hills three-bedroom.
A five-time Grammy nominee who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Robbie is seen here shredding with Dylan back in 1972, before he went on to become one of the founding members of The Band
The suit centers around the pair’s purchase of this Beverly Hills home, which they said was Zuccarini’s handiwork. The home was bought less than two years before Zuccarini wed Robertson in March 2023, a ceremony held months before his death this past August
The late musician’s kids claim she was taking advantage of him in his waning years, unbeknownst to them, old friends like Dylan, and the guitarist’s ex-wife Dominique Bourgeois. The trio are seen together in 2022
The suit slams this as ‘financial elder abuse’ and ‘tortious interference with inheritance’, citing how Zuccarini pursued the prenup and wedding in secret so that neither they nor his ex-wife, Dominique Bourgeois, would ‘be able to review’ it.
They claim they only learned about the marriage – allegedly only attended by Zuccarini’s sister and brother-in-law – hours after it happened, showing up to the new house for what they assumed was an anniversary party.
The trio went on to discern it was a wedding party, after which Robertson’s children said they were told, straight from their father, that ‘nothing in his estate plan had changed’.
They were further told that they would ‘receive all of his property upon death’ – a promise that did not pan out following the five-time Grammy nominee’s death.
The suit, which seeks to cancel the amended Tenancy In Common agreement while also seeking unspecified damages, is currently grinding its way through the California courts.
Robertson, who had a professional and personal bond with Dylan that stretched back more than half a century, died of complications created by pancreatic cancer on August 9.
When Dylan controversially went electric in the mid-1960s, it was his The Band that provided his onstage backing.
Two days after Robertson’s death, Dylan told Billboard: ‘This is shocking news. Robbie was a lifelong friend. His passing leaves a vacancy in the world.’
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