Amy Winehouse's father ordered to pay £960,000 after judge calls his lawsuit against singer's friends 'weak and opportunistic'

A London judge has ordered Mitch Winehouse to pay nearly £1 million to two friends of his late daughter, the singer Amy Winehouse, closing a legal battle he launched over the auction of her personal belongings. The ruling, issued on Wednesday July 29 by High Court judge Sarah Clarke, awards £569,330 to Naomi Parry, Amy's former stylist, and £394,521 to Catriona Gourlay, who had been Amy's close friend and flatmate. The total of £963,851 ($1.3 million) covers the women's legal costs after they defeated a claim Mitch had brought against them. He must pay approximately £960,000 of the sum within two weeks.

What the auctions involved

Between 2021 and 2023, Parry and Gourlay sold 155 items belonging to Amy Winehouse through Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles. The lots ranged from clothing, ballet flats and handbags to earrings and makeup, and included the dress the singer wore at her final concert in Belgrade in 2011, which fetched $243,000. Parry sold 56 items for $878,000 and Gourlay sold 85 items for $344,000. The combined proceeds reached $1.4 million, with 30% directed to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

Mitch, acting as administrator of his daughter's estate, sued the pair in London's High Court in 2023. He demanded £730,000 from the proceeds and alleged the women had deliberately hidden the sales from him. His claim fell apart in court.

How the case collapsed

Documents demonstrated that Mitch had known about the planned auctions from the start and had been in direct contact with Darren Julien, who runs the auction house. He had also received advance notice of the items heading for sale and of those intended for the Grammy Museum. Clarke described Mitch's lawsuit as "speculative, weak, opportunistic and thin" and found he had "intentionally turned the case into a large-scale and costly litigation, in circumstances designed to exert financial pressure on the defendants to settle on his terms."

The claimant chose to bring an inherently weak case, to pursue it aggressively and relentlessly to its conclusion, and to make serious and unfounded allegations against the defendants that significantly damaged their reputations, career prospects, financial security and health.

The women's loyalty and the personal toll

The court acknowledged the long-standing loyalty of both women to Amy and her family. Clarke noted that they had consistently been devoted friends who supported the singer over many years and were devastated by her death.

The fact that he knowingly and deliberately did this to two young women who had stood faithfully by Amy and also by him and his family makes his unreasonable conduct particularly serious.

The judge observed that Mitch had shown a tendency toward aggressive reactions when he perceived slights. She also noted that he had attempted to block Parry from seeing the auction contract. Clarke concluded that his allegations had caused significant damage to the women's reputations, career prospects, financial security and health, and that he knew they were financially vulnerable and that his claims would only worsen that situation.

Aftermath and timeline

The merits of the case were settled in April 2026, when the High Court dismissed Mitch's claim in full. The court concluded that Parry and Gourlay had not concealed any items from him, and that the belongings had been gifts or loans from Amy during their years of friendship. Wednesday's ruling translated that earlier defeat into a financial penalty.

Amy Winehouse died in July 2011 at age 27 from accidental alcohol poisoning at her home in Camden Town, London. Mitch inherited his daughter's multimillion-pound fortune afterward. The legal defeat comes one week after the 15th anniversary of her death.