Amy Winehouse’s father denies ‘jealousy and greed’ is behind £730,000 court case against pop star daughter’s friends who sold her clothes and used make-up at auction

Mitch Winehouse is bringing legal action against two of daughter Amy’s friends over claims they profited from selling her items at auction

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Amy Winehouse’s dad app(Image: PA)

Amy Winehouse’s father apologised to a High Court judge today as he brings legal action against two of his daughters friends.

Mitch Winehouse said he was “very, very upset” following a suggestion that he and his family “have done very well” out of the late singer’s estate.

Mr Winehouse denied suing two of his daughter’s friends out of “petty jealousy” that they made money from selling items at auction after her death, the High Court heard.

Mitch Winehouse, acting as the administrator of his daughter’s estate, is bringing legal action against her stylist Naomi Parry and friend Catriona Gourlay for hundreds of thousands of pounds over claims they profited from selling dozens of items at auctions in the US in 2021 and 2023. It is alleged the two women did not have the right to sell the items and did not inform Mr Winehouse that they were doing so. Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay are defending the claim, with their barristers stating that the items were either gifted by Ms Winehouse or were already owned by them. Rehab singer Amy died aged 27 from alcohol poisoning in July 2011.

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Amy Winehouse poses with parents Mitch and Janis at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2008(Image: Getty Images)

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Catriona Gourlay with an unknown friend arriving at the High Court(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

 

During Mr Winehouse’s evidence on Tuesday, the court heard he told the Sunday Times last year that he had gone to the police about the case to be told that proceedings in the High Court made it a civil case. Asked if he was trying to make Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay out to be criminals, he said: “If they had stolen things they would be criminals wouldn’t they?” He accepted that he had no evidence that Ms Parry or Ms Gourlay had taken anything from a lock up of his daughter’s possessions. Beth Grossman, for Ms Parry, asked: “These young women are not thieves and they are not dishonest, Mr Winehouse. They have always been honest to you.

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(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

“They sold items that they owned that you knew they owned and that you were going to sell and you have said this to journalists out of nothing more than petty jealousy, because they happened to make a bit of money at the auction and you brought these proceedings for nothing more than petty jealousy as well. “Do you have a response to that?” Mr Winehouse replied: “Yes, you are wrong.” Mr Winehouse said he thought the money from the auction in 2021, which raised around 1.4 million dollars (£1.05 million) for the estate, would be split between himself, Ms Winehouse’s mother Janis and the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Ms Grossman asked whether it was his case that her client and Ms Gourlay who were “living pretty much hand to mouth” were putting items into the auction to benefit him and the foundation. It raised about 1.4 million dollars (£1.05 million) for the estate, which Mr Winehouse said he was “disappointed” with having kept a tally and believed the estate would be getting more than 2.0 million dollars (£1.5 million).

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“Yes that is what we assumed,” Mr Winehouse said. He also told the court that he believed “everything in the auction catalogue belonged to us”. “It was billed as a single seller auction,” he added. The court heard organisers called it as a “single-owner auction”, with Ms Parry’s barrister arguing that referred “to the celebrity, not the estate”. Mr Winehouse said he was “very, very upset” after Ms Grossman suggested he and the family “have done very well out of the family estate”. “Amy passed away and as her beneficiaries we benefited,” he said. I would not say we have done well at all.” He accepted that he is “probably” a multi-millionaire. “I’m very upset by what you said,” Mr Winehouse continued. “Very, very upset. “I’m going to say this to you and the court… since Amy’s passed away my family has given over £4 million not only to the Amy Winehouse Foundation but to other charities as well. When you say we have done very well it is not for personal greed. Our business is to look after, primarily, disadvantaged young people.” Addressing the judge, he added: “My Lady, I apologise for that outburst.” The trial before Sarah Clarke KC, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, is due to conclude later this week