Friends of Amy Winehouse ‘concealed’ that they auctioned dozens her items after she died, court told
Two of Amy Winehouse’s friends “deliberately concealed” that they had sold her personal belongings at auction after her death, lawyers for the singer’s father told the Supreme Court.
Mitch Winehouse, who acts as administrator of his daughter’s estate, is suing her friend Catriona Gourlay and stylist Naomi Parry for hundreds of thousands of pounds over allegations they made a profit by selling dozens of items at auctions in the United States in 2021 and 2023.
Ms. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in July 2011, aged 27.
Mr Winehouse’s lawyers told a hearing on Monday that the two women had not informed him that they were selling the products and that legal action was his “only way to get answers”.
Miss Parry and Miss Gourlay defend the claim; Their lawyers state that the items were either gifted by Ms. Winehouse or already belonged to them.
Henry Legge KC, for Mr Winehouse, said in written submissions that these items included the silk minidress Ms Winehouse wore to her last performance in Belgrade, Serbia, which Ms Parry auctioned for US$243,200 (£182,656) in 2021.
He said: “Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay deliberately concealed from Mr Winehouse that they were auctioning items consigned by them to the 2021 auction and that they claimed ownership of those items.”
He said he believed all 834 works in Mr. Winehouse’s 2021 auction catalog belonged to the estate, but that two women “claimed ownership of more than 150 works.”
The barrister also said Ms Parry was “instrumental in persuading Mr Winehouse to auction items from the estate” but did not tell him he would “profit from agreeing to do so”.
Mr. Legge said that in 2014, following Ms. Winehouse’s death, Darren Julien of Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles approached Mr. Winehouse about auctioning her belongings, but Mr. Winehouse initially declined.
Mr Julien then contacted Ms Parry and Parry stated that she would be willing to sell “my collection” in 2018. Mr Legge said Ms Gourlay would be willing to sell products in 2019.
Mr Winehouse later agreed to auction the items in 2021, which raised around $1.4 million (£1.05 million) for the estate, with 30% of the proceeds going to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.
But Mr Legge said Mr Julien had “taken no steps to correct Mr Winehouse’s apparent impression that all the land was owned and sold by the estate”.
The barrister also said Mr Julien told Ms Parry in a text message after the auction: “I think he’s going to go a little crazy when he realizes all the big pieces are yours.”
He said both women later sold other items at the second auction in May 2023.
At a hearing last July, Mr Winehouse’s lawyers said Ms Parry sold around 50 items at the 2021 auction for around $878,183 (around £682,000) and Ms Gourlay sold around 90 items for a total of $334,113 (around £259,000).
Giving evidence on Monday, Mr Winehouse said: “I think if Amy was that close she would have given them some stuff but 150 items, I can’t believe it.”
Speaking on behalf of Ms Parry, Beth Grossman said in written submissions that her client had been Ms Winehouse’s stylist in 2006 and had been staying at her property in Camden, London.
He said: “Both defendants claim that the vast majority of the disputed items were in their possession before Amy’s death in 2011, and in many cases years before her death.
“Each of the defendants further alleges that some of the disputed items were in fact theirs at all times and were merely lent by Amy.”
In a written submission on behalf of Ms Gourlay, barrister Ted Loveday said his client “believed, and still believes, that the sale of the items was ‘what Amy would have wanted’.”
He said Ms Gourlay met Ms Winehouse in 2002 and was her flatmate from 2004 to 2005, with the early years of their relationship characterized by “sharing and bartering”.
Mr. Loveday continued that after 2006 and the release of Back to Black, Winehouse “gave away more and more items” to Ms. Gourlay and others as part of “extravagant acts of generosity.”
The barrister also said Mr Winehouse had “thrown together” her claim “thoughtlessly and uncritically” and was “more concerned with protecting her reputation and punishing Ms Gourlay and Ms Parry for completely fanciful understatements”.
Mr Loveday also said Mr Winehouse had dropped some of his claims, even though the case initially concerned 156 items.
The hearing before Sarah Clarke KC, a deputy judge of the High Court, is expected to conclude later this week.
