Amy Winehouse’s father loses case over singer’s belongings

Amy Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, has been ordered to pay nearly £1 million to two of the late singer’s friends after losing a high court case over the sale of her belongings.

Mitch must now pay £569,330 to Amy’s former stylist Naomi Parry and £394,521 to her friend Catriona Gourlay within two weeks. He has also been ordered to cover their legal costs.

The case began after Mitch, who represented Amy’s estate, accused Parry and Gourlay of making money from selling items linked to the singer. The items were sold at auctions in the US in 2021 and 2023. He claimed the women hid their plans and asked for more than £700,000 in compensation.

However, Parry and Gourlay said Amy had either given them the items or they already belonged to them. 

In April, Deputy High Court Judge Sarah Clarke dismissed Mitch’s claim, saying there was no proof that the women had hidden the items from him.

In the latest ruling, the judge said Mitch had continued with a weak case in an aggressive way. She said the legal fight had harmed the women’s reputations, careers, finances, and health.

The disputed items included a silk dress Amy wore during her final performance in Belgrade in 2011, which sold for $243,200 (£182,000), along with other clothes and personal items.

Amy Winehouse died from accidental alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27.