Amy Winehouse’s father sues sellers of his daughter’s dresses

They earned more than 700,000 pounds (800,500 euros) by auctioning dresses and other objects that belonged to their friend Amy Winehouse: a lawsuit now pits them against the singer’s father, who claims that the money should have gone to his family and to a foundation dedicated to his memory.

Mitchell Winehouse, who brought an action heard since Monday by the High Court in London, accuses Naomi Parry, ex-stylist of the star who died in 2011, and Catriona Gourlay, ex-roommate of the singer, of having appropriated his personal property to sell them and keep the sums thus obtained. According to Mr. Winehouse’s lawyer, Henry Legge, the two women sold at auction, between November 2021 and May 2023, some 150 objects that belonged to the singer of Back to Blackincluding the dresses she wore during her last tour in June 2011. The singer, aged 27, died the following month, on July 23, of excess alcohol.

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According to the complaint, Mitchell Winehouse thought he was the sole owner of these objects, and should therefore have received the sums raised from their sale via the Julien’s auction house, based in Los Angeles. Bidders were also informed that 30% of the proceeds would go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. But according to Ted Loveday, Catriona Gourlay’s lawyer, most of the objects had been lent or given by the singer to the two women, even if there is no tangible proof of these donations. “If a 19-year-old woman gives a scarf or earrings to her friend, no one signs a contract”argued the lawyer, emphasizing the “generosity” d’Amy.

Refusal of an amicable settlement

Catriona Gourlay and Naomi Parry met Amy Winehouse in the early 2000s, before the singer became a global star. Having become his stylist, Naomi Parry created some of his most famous stage outfits, including the Bamboo dresswhich she wore during her last tour, sold in 2021 for 243,200 dollars (209,016 euros). Tuesday, on the second day of the trial, Naomi Parry’s lawyer, Beth Grossman, pointed out to jurors the wealth gap between Mitchell Winehouse, who admitted to being a multimillionaire thanks to her daughter’s inheritance, and the two women, who “tighten their belts”.

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According to the complaint, Mitchell Winehouse had initially offered the two women an out-of-court settlement, offering to give him 30% of the winnings made. But when they refused, he decided to go to court and is now demanding the total amount of sales from them, or 730,000 pounds, according to his lawyers’ estimate. The hearings are due to end on Friday, pending a ruling on an unspecified date.