A London judge has ordered Mitch Winehouse, the father of the late singer Amy Winehouse, to pay nearly $2.7 million to two of the singer's friends. The ruling comes after Winehouse accused Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourla of selling Amy Winehouse's items behind his back.
Justice Sarah Clarke dismissed Winehouse's claims that the 2021 auction, organized through Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles, was deliberately concealed from him. The judge stated that Winehouse was aware of the auction the entire time and "chose to bring an inherently weak claim, pursue it aggressively and relentlessly to the end, and make serious and unfounded allegations against the defendants."
According to court documents, Justice Clarke found that Winehouse's claims significantly damaged Parry and Gourla's reputations, career prospects, financial security, and health. He has been ordered to pay interim payments of $760,533.79 to Parry and $527,016.93 to Gourlay for damages and legal fees within two weeks. Additionally, Winehouse incurred approximately $1.28 million in his own legal costs.
The judge noted that Winehouse "deliberately turned this case into large-scale and expensive litigation, in circumstances calculated to exert commercial pressure on the defendants to settle on his terms." She added that his conduct was particularly serious given the defendants' long-standing loyalty to Amy Winehouse and the family.
Winehouse had sued Parry and Gourla in London's High Court in December 2023, alleging they had put personal belongings of Amy Winehouse up for sale at auctions in 2021 and 2023. He argued that because the items were listed "in their own names and on their own behalf," his daughter's property had been "converted" to their own use. In his lawsuit, he was seeking over $930,000 from the singer's friends.
Parry worked as Amy Winehouse's stylist since 2005, while Gourla was a close friend of the singer for years. Amy Winehouse died in July 2011 at the age of 27 from accidental alcohol poisoning.