ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Two of Bobby Vee's four children have filed a court petition claiming their siblings are misusing money from the late pop singer's estate.
Robby Velline and Jennifer Whittet Velline claim in the Stearns County District Court petition that their brothers, Tommy and Jeff Velline, have spent money from the estate on themselves and to support Rockhouse Productions, a recording studio and production facility they run. It was established by Bobby and his wife, Karen, who is also deceased.
The petition asks a Stearns County judge to order Jeff and Tommy Velline to provide a report of Bobby Vee's estate, income and retirement accounts, including any revenue generated by the play "Teen Idol: The Bobby Vee Story." It also seeks to remove Jeff and Tommy as trustees of the trust and accuses them of breaching their loyalty to the estate.
Tommy and Jeff Velline have filed a counter petition that says their actions had the approval of their parents, the St. Cloud Times reported (http://on.sctimes.com/2jZIoFG ).
Troy Poetz, the attorney for Jeff and Tommy Velline, declined to comment because of "the painful and sensitive nature of interfamilial lawsuits."
James T. Martin, the attorney for Robby Velline and Jennifer Whittet Velline, said the main issue is the protection of the Bobby Vee legacy and trust that was to benefit Vee's children and grandchildren.
Born in Fargo, North Dakota, Bobby Vee was only 15 when his career was born in the 1960s. His success began when he took a Midwestern stage as a teenager to fill in after a 1959 plane crash killed rock 'n' roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.
He died in October of advanced Alzheimer's disease.
