Despite her death in 2011, Amy Winehouse‘s life continues to generate headlines. Recently, her 73-year-old father Mitch Winehouse, through the entity that manages the singer’s estate, has filed a lawsuit against two of his daughter’s friends, Catriona Gourlay and Naomi Parry, for allegedly profiting from the illegal sale of the artist’s personal belongings.
Before the High Court in London, Mitch registered the petition in which he claims that the accused auctioned “several objects that were owned by Amy during her lifetime” on two occasions: one of them in 2021 and the other this year. The sale was made “of their own free will and under their names.” In the plaintiff’s opinion, the defendants financially appropriated property that did not belong to them.
Damage to the Singer’s Image
According to the prosecution, the first auction was promoted by the Amy Winehouse Charitable Foundation, which was established by the artist’s parents after her death, in which 30 percent of the proceeds were to be donated to charitable causes. This justifies the claim for damages to the image and reputation of the singer’s foundation.
“Two people sold several pieces at that auction and kept all the proceeds. Those items were linked to Amy. This year, they put more of Amy’s belongings up for auction and, combined, the two auctions have generated six-figure sums for each,” the lawsuit reads.
The entity that administers Amy’s estate requested information about the auctioned items; however, it did not receive a response. The vocalist’s father will seek a large sum in “damages.” If any monetary compensation is received, the Amy Winehouse Foundation will be the main beneficiary.
