Mitch Winehouse has been ordered by the High Court to pay nearly £1 million to two former friends of his daughter, Amy Winehouse.. The ruling follows the dismissal of a claim by the 75-year-old father regarding the unauthorized sale of the singer's personal effects.
The £730,000 claim over Amy Winehouse's Belgrade dress
Mitch Winehouse sought £730,000 in profits from Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay, alleging they auctioned items without his permission. According to the report, one such item was a silk minidress worn by Amy Winehouse during her final Belgrade performance, which fetched £180,000.
The legal battle centered on sales that took place in the United States between 2021 and 2023. While Mitch Winehouse claimed he was unaware of these transactions, the court found that he had known about the sales all along.
Judge Sarah Clarke KC's rebuke of 'aggressive' litigation
Judge Sarah Clarke KC ruled that Mitch Winehouse only pursued the women in an "aggressive and unpleasant way" after the sales had already occurred. The judge noted that the litigation appeared designed to damage the reputations of Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay.
As reported, Judge Clarke KC described the defendants as being "vulnerable both financially and in status." The court concluded that the claim was "inherently weak" and had been used to exert commercial pressure on the women to settle on the terms of Mitch Winehouse.
The £1.2 million legal bill facing Mitch Winehouse
The financcial fallout for Mitch Winehouse is significant, with the total legal costs for the defendants estimated at £1.2 million.. Specifically, the court noted that Naomi Parry faced costs of £715,361, while Catriona Gourlay faced £487,132.
Judge Sarah Clarke KC has ordered Mitch Winehouse to make interim payments to both women within two weeks. Furthermore, he remains responsible for their ongoing legal expenses, a steep price for a case the judge labeled as "large-scale and expensive litigation" created deliberately.
The battle for the multi-million pound Winehouse estate
This dispute reflects a broader, often contentious struggle over the legacies of global icons. Mitch Winehouse inherited the multi-million pound estate of Amy Winehouse, but the management of her physical memorabilia has clearly remained a point of friction between the estate and those close to the singer.
The case highlights the tension between legal heirs and personal confidants . Naomi Parry's testimony—that she would "rather set the money on fire than give him a penny"—underscores the deep personal animosity that often fuels these high-stakes estate battles.
Who will ultimately benefit the Amy Winehouse Foundation?
A lingering uncertainty remains regarding the charitable intentions mentioned during the trial. mitch Winehouse claimed that profits from the 2021 auction were intended to be split between himself, his wife Janis, and the Amy Winehouse Foundation.
However, the report does not clarify if the Amy Winehouse Foundation ever received any funds from the sales conducted by Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay.. It remains unclear whether the "commercial pressure" mentioned by the judge hindered the foundation's ability to benefit from these assets.
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