Mitch Winehouse claimed that Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay profited from selling items belonging to Amy Winehouse at auctions in the United States between 2021 and 2023. The defendants denied the allegations, arguing that the items were either gifted by Amy Winehouse or already owned by them. Judge Sarah Clarke KC ruled that neither Naomi Parry nor Catriona Gourlay deliberately concealed any disputed items from Mitch Winehouse. She also stated that Mitch Winehouse could have discovered what disputed items the defendants had with reasonable diligence.
Amy Winehouse died at age 27 from alcohol poisoning in her Camden home in 2011. Judge Sarah Clarke KC described Mitch Winehouse as a strong character who suffered a tragedy, works hard to keep Amy's memory alive through the Amy Winehouse Foundation, and has become extremely wealthy from the estate.
I find that neither Ms Parry nor Ms Gourlay deliberately concealed any of their disputed items from the claimant and even if I am wrong about that, Mr Winehouse could have discovered what disputed items the defendants had with reasonable diligence.
Mitch Winehouse claimed that the friends did not have the right to sell 155 items auctioned between 2021 and 2023. The items sold included shoes, bags, and dresses that Amy Winehouse wore during her last tour in 2011. The sales brought in over $1.4 million, equivalent to nearly 12.8 million Swedish kronor.
One of the items sold was a silk minidress that Amy Winehouse wore in her final performance before her death. One item sold by Naomi Parry included a silk mini-dress worn by Amy Winehouse during her final performance in Belgrade, Serbia, which was auctioned for 243,200 dollars (£182,656).
Mr Winehouse is clearly a strong character but also someone who has suffered a great tragedy in the loss of his daughter. Since Amy's death, he has worked hard to keep her memory alive including through the charitable entity, the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which supports and informs young people through a variety of projects.
Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay denied the allegations, arguing that the items were either gifted by Amy Winehouse or already owned by them. Judge Sarah Clarke KC noted that Amy Winehouse would routinely give her friends clothing because she didn't want to be seen in the same outfit in public more than once.
Judge Sarah Clarke KC stated that Mitch Winehouse likes to dominate people and situations, is an unreliable witness, and brought the claim without checking he had a valid claim until shortly before trial. She also stated that Mitch Winehouse could have discovered what disputed items the defendants had with reasonable diligence.
It is also the case that Amy's estate, including in particular the royalties from Back To Black, has made Mr Winehouse personally extremely wealthy. Mr Winehouse is therefore understandably sensitive about anyone who he perceives as exploiting Amy's memory.
During the trial, lawyers for Naomi Parry accused Mitch Winehouse of bringing the claim out of 'petty jealousy', which he denied.
The court heard that the auction catalogue contained 834 items and the sale raised 1.4 million US dollars (£1.05 million) for the Amy Winehouse estate, 30% of which went to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.
I thought the money from the 2021 auction would be split between myself, Amy Winehouse's mother Janis, and the Amy Winehouse Foundation (AWF).
It remains unclear what specific items were sold in the auctions beyond the silk minidress and items from the last tour.
How much money Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay personally profited from the sales is not specified in the court records.
I would rather set the money on fire than give him a penny.
The current relationship between Mitch Winehouse and Amy's friends after the court ruling is not publicly known.
A contradiction exists regarding the number of items sold in the auctions: Mitch Winehouse claimed 155 items were sold, while the auction catalogue contained 834 items.
The High Court cleared my name unequivocally and in full after years of damaging and unfounded allegations by Mitch Winehouse.
My relationship with Amy Winehouse was built on trust, loyalty, and love of work, and it was painful and unjust to see it misrepresented publicly.