The children of band guitarist Robbie Robertson, who died last year, are suing his wife, whom he married shortly before his death, claiming she took advantage of the musician’s declining health to get him to sign a contract that he signed after his death. Documents in her favor.
Robertson’s three adult children — Alexandra, Delphine and Sebastian Robertson — filed a lawsuit Wednesday night in Los Angeles Superior Court against prominent Toronto restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, who recently Strath West Hollywood store opens in Hollywood. Robertson died in August, just months after marrying Zuccarini.
Zuccarini’s lawyer called the complaint a “baseless fiction.”
The main claim in the lawsuit stems from Zuccarini and Robertson’s joint purchase of David Geffen’s Beverly Hills home on Gilcrest Drive in 2021 for $6 million. The couple each owns 50 percent of the house, but Robertson put down the entire $1.8 million down payment, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit alleges that while Robertson’s intention at the time of his death was that his children would become 50 percent owners of the home and be able to sell it to Zuccarini, purchase Zuccarini’s shares or jointly sell the property with Zuccarini, that was not the case.
After Robertson’s death, Zuccarini told the family, “She has the right to live in the property until her death – and [Robertson’s heirs] “They were required to pay the mortgage, property taxes, insurance and half of her lifetime property maintenance costs from their meager inheritance,” the lawsuit states.
Her claim stems from changes the couple made to their “tenants in common” agreement from when they moved into the house in 2021.
The couple signed the amendment in March 2023, months before Robertson died in August, agreeing that their estate would be responsible for continuing to repay half of the mortgage if one of them died, according to a copy of the agreement.
Robertson’s heirs argue in the lawsuit that Robertson never fully recovered from cancer surgery in 2022. He began using powerful opioids, THC and antipsychotics to control pain and stimulate his appetite, the lawsuit states.
“Robertson’s mental state was severely impaired,” the lawsuit states. “While Zuccarini arranged the secret wedding and made him sign oppressive documents, he was taking drugs known to have significant cognitive effects, including confusion, hallucinations, numbness, depression, memory loss and dissociation.”
The heirs allege in the lawsuit that Zuccarini committed elder abuse by having Robertson sign documents even though he knew Robertson was mentally unable to understand what he was signing.
The lawsuit seeks to void the agreement between Zuccarini and Robertson to split ownership of the home.
“This lawsuit is pure fiction and the truth will prevail,” Gabrielle A. Vidal, Zuccarini’s attorney, said in a statement to The Times. It was a crude and exploitative attempt by Robbie Robertson’s children to deprive their father of his expressed wishes for his beloved wife Janet.”
Robertson’s children did not immediately comment through their attorneys.
