The father of Amy Winehouse has been ordered to pay nearly £1 million to two of his late daughter's friends after a failed High Court claim. Mitch Winehouse, 75, must also cover his own legal costs, which amount to at least £950,000, following the unsuccessful lawsuit.
The former London taxi driver had sued the singer's former stylist, Naomi Parry, and a friend, Catriona Gourlay, alleging they made money from selling the late star's dresses, used lipstick, and eyeliner without his permission. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 in 2011.
The items in question were sold at auctions in the United States in 2021 and 2023, a decade after the singer's death. Mr. Winehouse claimed that Ms. Parry and Ms. Gourlay owed him £730,000 from the profits and had deliberately concealed the sales. However, both women defended the claim.
Judge Sarah Clarke KC sided with Ms. Parry and Ms. Gourlay, finding that Mr. Winehouse was aware of the sales all along and only began pursuing the women aggressively afterward. The court heard that Ms. Winehouse had a reputation for "extraordinary generosity" and would often give clothing to friends.
Mitch Winehouse inherited the singer's multi-million pound estate and had claimed that the proceeds from the 2021 auction were intended to be split among himself, his ex-wife Janis, and the Amy Winehouse Foundation. The auction catalog featured 834 items and raised £1.04 million for the estate, with 30 percent going to the foundation.
One notable item, a silk minidress worn by Amy Winehouse during her final performance in Belgrade, Serbia, sold for £180,000. The court was told that Ms. Parry had previously stated that Mr. Winehouse had offered her £187,000 to drop the legal claim, an offer she rejected.
In her judgment, Judge Clarke stated that Mr. Winehouse had brought a "weak claim" and pursued it "aggressively and relentlessly," making serious and unfounded allegations that damaged the defendants' reputations, careers, and financial security. The judge noted that Ms. Parry's costs were estimated at £715,361 and Ms. Gourlay's at £487,132 as of April.
Mr. Winehouse was ordered to pay interim payments of £569,330 to Ms. Parry and £394,521 to Ms. Gourlay within two weeks. He must also pay the women's legal costs on an indemnity basis, a higher standard typically awarded when a party has behaved unreasonably. Judge Clarke found that Mr. Winehouse deliberately escalated the litigation to exert commercial pressure and courted publicity for his allegations, aiming to damage the defendants' reputations and force a settlement. The judge described his conduct as "particularly serious" given the women's long-standing loyalty to Amy Winehouse and the family.