Amy Winehouse’s father has lost a High Court claim against two of his daughter’s friends over the auctioning of items that had been owned by the singer
Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch has lost a High Court claim against two of his daughter’s friends over the auctioning of items that had been owned by the singer..
The former London cab driver, acting as the administrator of Amy’s estate, sued her close friends, stylist Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourley, for hundreds of thousands of pounds, claiming they had profited from selling several items belonging to the late star.
The items in question were sold at auctions in the United States between 2021 and 2023. Ms Winehouse died aged 27 on July 23, 2011, at her home in Camden, North London, from alcohol poisoning. Deputy High Court judge Sarah Clarke KC said in a judgment on Monday: “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.”
In a statement provided by her lawyers, Naomi Parry said after the ruling: “Today, the High Court has cleared my name, unequivocally and in full, after years of deeply damaging and unfounded allegations brought by Mitch Winehouse. This was not a partial outcome or a matter of nuance. The claim has failed entirely. It should never have been brought.
“I stood beside Amy as a friend, a creative partner, and her costume designer. What we shared was built on trust, loyalty, and a genuine love of the work. To see that relationship misrepresented so publicly has been both painful and profoundly unjust.
“This judgment restores the truth. It does not, however, erase the toll, on my health, my work, and my life, of defending myself against claims that had no evidential foundation. Accountability matters, and I will take the steps necessary to address the damage caused. For now, my focus is on rebuilding my life and career, and protecting my name, the work I created with Amy, and her legacy.”
In December of last year, lawyers acting on behalf of Mitch told the court that Naomi and Catriona didn’t inform him that they were selling the items. They added that legal proceedings were his “only means of obtaining answers”.
Meanwhile, Ms Gourlay and Ms Parry, with their barristers, told the court that the items sold had been gifted to them by Ms Winehouse, or they were already owned by the pair.
Henry Legge KC, for Mitch, previously told the court that he believed Catriona and Naomi had “deliberately concealed” the fact that they were selling the items at auction.
However, in her written statement, Naomi stated that she believed the Winehouse family “knew I was auctioning items,” and that Mitch was made aware of this during a meeting in October 2018.
She added that she “believed, and still very much believe, that Amy would have wanted me and Catriona to be financially secure.” She added that the sums sought by Mitch were “inflated”.
Before her death, Amy would frequently swap clothes with Catriona, she said in her witness statement. The court previously heard that the 2021 auction catalogue contained 834 items and that the sale raised 1.4 million dollars (£1.05m) for Ms Winehouse’s estate, 30 per cent of which went to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.
One item sold by Ms Parry included a silk mini-dress worn by Ms Winehouse in her final performance in Belgrade, Serbia, which was auctioned for 243,200 dollars (£182,656).
Meanwhile, in her written statement, Ms Gourlay said that in the days after Amy’s funeral, Mitch was giving out his late daughter’s clothes to fans outside of her home in Camden.
She claimed he was quoted in the press as saying, “it was what she would have wanted”. She said: “On that day, Naomi and I were shocked at how many of Amy’s possessions were being taken by family members. Mitch asked me if I wanted to have anything, but I refused as I told him that I already had plenty of things Amy had given me. Mitch is therefore aware that Amy had gifted me many items.”
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