Amy Winehouse's father, Mitch Winehouse, has been ordered by a UK High Court judge to pay £950,000 (US$1.26m, A$1.82m) to two of his late daughter's friends, Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay, after he unsuccessfully sued them for auctioning the singer's clothes and other items.
Failed lawsuit and judge's ruling
Mitch Winehouse lost the case earlier this year in the High Court in London. The two women auctioned 155 items belonging to the late singer between 2021 and 2023, including clothes, ballet slippers, handbags, earrings, makeup, and a dress she wore on her final tour in 2011. Parry, Amy Winehouse's former stylist, and Gourlay denied acting dishonestly, claiming the items were given or lent to them. Winehouse's father argued they had no right to sell the possessions.
Judge's findings on conduct
During the trial, the court heard that Winehouse's friends allegedly took advantage of her father's forgetfulness and pocketed more than $1.4m in sales. However, Judge Sarah Clarke found that the two women had not deliberately concealed any items from Mitch Winehouse, who 'knew all along' about the intended sale and only pursued them for money after it was completed.
Judge Clarke stated on Wednesday: 'The claimant chose to bring an inherently weak claim, pursue it aggressively and relentlessly to the end, and make serious and unfounded allegations against the defendants which significantly damaged their reputations, career prospects, financial security and health. The fact that he knowingly and deliberately did this to two young women who had stood faithfully by Amy … makes his unreasonable conduct particularly serious.'
Background on Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse, famed for her distinctive husky voice and global meteoric success at a young age, died in July 2011 from alcohol poisoning at age 27. The judge noted that she was known for her 'extraordinary generosity towards her friends and also those she barely knew.'
