Amy Winehouse's father ordered to pay $1.26 million to her friends over failed suit

London high court rules Mitch Winehouse made ‘unfounded’ allegations when he accused late daughter’s friends of taking advantage of him by auctioning Jewish singer’s possessions

LONDON — The father of British star singer Amy Winehouse was ordered on Wednesday to pay £950,000 ($1.26 million) to his late daughter’s friends, whom he unsuccessfully sued for auctioning her clothes and other items.

Mitch Winehouse earlier this year lost a case in the high court in London against two of Winehouse’s friends who auctioned dozens of her clothes and other possessions years after her death.

The late Jewish singer-songwriter, who was famed for her distinctive husky voice and who enjoyed global meteoric success at a young age, died in July 2011 from alcohol poisoning, aged 27. She was often seen wearing a Star of David necklace and had spoken publicly about her Jewish identity.

The late singer’s former stylist Naomi Parry and her friend Catriona Gourlay denied acting dishonestly in auctioning the items they said were given or lent to them.

Her father, Mitch, argued that they had no right to sell the items.

The 155 items, which were auctioned between 2021 and 2023, included clothes, ballet slippers, handbags, earrings, and makeup owned by the late singer, as well as a dress she wore on her final tour in 2011.

Mitch Winehouse poses for a photo with a statue of his late daughter, Amy Winehouse, after it was unveiled in Camden’s Stables Market, in London, on September 14, 2014. (AP/Tim Ireland/File)

During the trial, the London court was told Winehouse’s friends “took advantage” of her father’s forgetfulness and pocketed more than $1.4 million in sales.

The judge found that the two women had not deliberately concealed any of the items from Winehouse’s father, who “knew all along” about the intended sale and only pursued them for money after it was completed.

“The claimant chose to bring an inherently weak claim, pursue it aggressively and relentlessly to the end, and make serious and unfounded allegations against the defendants,” Judge Sarah Clarke said Wednesday.

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

In the April ruling, the judge noted that Amy Winehouse was known for her “extraordinary generosity towards her friends and also those she barely knew.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.