Mitch Winehouse loses High Court bid over Amy Winehouse items sale

Mitch Winehouse, acting as the administrator of his daughter’s estate, lost a High Court claim against two of Amy Winehouse’s friends over the auctioning of the singer’s items. The case focused on allegations that Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay deliberately concealed the sales and profited improperly from auctions held in the United States in 2021 and 2023. The defendants argued that the items were either gifted by Amy Winehouse or were already owned by them, and the court did not find deliberate concealment. The judge indicated that Winehouse could have discovered disputed items with reasonable diligence even if any concealment had occurred.

The trial revealed that the auction catalogue listed 834 items, which raised approximately $1.4 million for the Amy Winehouse estate, with 30 percent of the proceeds allocated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Among the items sold was a silk mini-dress worn by Winehouse during her final performance in Belgrade, Serbia, which fetched about $243,200. The defendants stated the dress and other items were either owned by them or gifted, challenging the basis of the claim.

In delivering the judgment, the deputy High Court judge stated that neither Parry nor Gourlay deliberately concealed any disputed items from the claimant, and even if the judge was mistaken on that point, Winehouse could have discovered what items were involved with reasonable diligence. The decision brings an end to this particular dispute, though it leaves open broader questions about provenance and future memorabilia sales.

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