Tom Petty‘s daughters and widow are currently in a battle over the rock legend’s estate. Variety reported Adria Petty and Annakim Violette allege that their father’s wife, Dana York Petty, has deprived them of their rightful role in determining how Petty’s works are released. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks at least $5 million in damages. Adria Petty and Annakim Violette are Petty’s children from his marriage to first wife Jane Benyo, whom he was married to from 1974 to 1996. Petty married Dana York in 2001 and helped raise her son Dylan from a previous marriage.
Petty left his widow the trustee of his trust, with the trust providing his daughters “equal participation” in decisions regarding the handling of Petty musical catalogue. The Petty daughters are claiming that their role gives them two votes out of three in regards to the decisions — giving the pair a majority rule over how Petty’s estate moves forward.
Last month, Billboard reported, “In a petition filed in Los Angeles County court, Dana Petty alleges that the musician’s two adult daughters are attempting to thwart her role as trustee by making it nearly impossible to manage the singer’s estate. Dana is requesting the court establish an operating agreement that would appoint a manager to exercise authority over any ‘significant decisions’ made regarding Petty’s assets. She further asks that all such decisions require consensus between the three women so as to prevent Adria and Annakim from overriding her.”
Adam Streisand, Dana Petty’s attorney, issued a statement, which reads in part, “This misguided and meritless lawsuit sadly demonstrates exactly why Tom Petty designated his wife to be the sole trustee with authority to manage his estate. Dana will not allow destructive nonsense like this to distract her from protecting her husband’s legacy.”
Among the complaints by Petty’s daughters is that their stepmother delayed the release of the Petty compilation The Best Of Everything, and scrapped a 25th anniversary deluxe release of Petty’s 1994 Wildflowers album.
