A judge has ordered arbitration of a dispute between Robbie Robertson’s widow and his children from a previous marriage, who allege she took advantage of the cancer-stricken musician to enrich herself to his offspring’s detriment prior to his 2023 death.
Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein also has made the same ruling involving a separate suit by the widow, Janet Zuccarini, against her late husband’s estate in which she alleges they have failed to make payments on the mortgage on the home she and Robertson shared before he died.
Epstein additionally consolidated the two cases. His Nov. 12 arbitration ruling was in response to an agreement by the parties to take the claims before an arbitrator rather than a jury. Former Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff will serve was the arbitrator.
The children’s suit, filed May 22, alleges that three years after Zuccarini and Robertson began their relationship, Zuccarini convinced Robertson to sell his own house in order to purchase a $6 million Beverly Hills home that they would own equally.
The complaint further alleges Robertson paid the entire $1.8 million down payment and that Zuccarni scheduled a clandestine wedding in March 2023 that the children learned about just hours after it happened when they showed up for what they thought was an anniversary party.
The suit additionally contends that Zuccarini convinced Robertson to sign prenuptial and amended tenant-in-common agreements stating that if one of them died, the estate of the deceased would continue to pay one-half of the mortgage. But due to Robertson’s declining condition due to cancer, he allegedly did not fully understand what he was agreeing to and told his children after the wedding that they would have the option to either buy the Beverly Hills house from Zuccarini, sell his interest to her or sell it with her and split the proceeds.
But in a sworn declaration, Zuccari says that she gave her husband time to discuss with his children the contractual agreements they had reached and exactly how the former Band guitarist wanted to provide for her after his death.
“When I returned, Robbie told me that he had the most beautiful conversation with his children and the children were crying and expressing gratitude towards me for not seeking anything more from Robbie’s estate than what those spousal agreements provided,” Zuccarini says in the declaration filed in Santa Monica Superior Court. “They all went around the table saying that I had their blessing and that this is what they wanted for me.”
Zuccarini’s declaration also states that her income at restaurants she ran was down due to the coronavirus pandemic, so she and Robertson agreed he would make the down payment and that at the end of the mortgage each would have paid half of the $6 million purchase price.
“We also agreed to split all household costs and expenses equally,” Zuccarini says. “And, we also agreed to submit any disputes relating to our agreement regarding the residence to arbitration.”
All of Robertson’s children — Delphine, Sebastian and Alexandra Robertson — knew about Zuccarini’s long-term relationship with their father and they were engaged, according to Zuccarini.
” Before Robbie proposed, Sebastian helped Robbie find the engagement ring he proposed to me with through his friendship with renowned jewelry designer, Anita Ko,” the suit states.
Zuccarini also says she posted information about the engagement on her Instagram page, which had as many as 20,000 followers at the time.
In the days after Robertson’s Aug. 9, 2023, death at age 80, Delphine Robertson texted Zuccarini and called Zuccarini “the most incredible partner” to the musician, said she was “so glad” that her father and Zuccarini had “found each other” and that Zuccarini had “opened Robertson’s heart in such a beautiful way,” according to the suit.
Alexandra Robertson texted Zuccarini that both she and her father loved Zuccarini, according to Zuccarini.
In September 2023, Zuccarini hosted Robertson’s children at her home and they told her “what an amazing partner I was to Robbie and how blessed Robbie was to have me [at] his side in the last years of his life,” according to Zuccarini.