The father of the British singer Amy Winehouse was ordered to pay about $1.3 million to two of her friends after a legal battle in which he accused them of secretly auctioning off his daughter’s personal belongings.
In a ruling issued on Wednesday, a judge in Britain ordered Mitch Winehouse to cover the legal costs of the two defendants, which amounted to about 960,000 British pounds. The decision came after the judge had dismissed the case in April, when the court found that many of the items sold were likely gifts to Ms. Winehouse’s friends.
Mr. Winehouse manages the estate of his daughter, who died in 2011 of alcohol poisoning. He sued the two defendants, Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay, claiming that they had “deliberately concealed” the sale of around 150 items, which were sold at auction in Los Angeles in 2021 and 2023. Mr. Winehouse claimed the items belonged to the estate.
In her ruling, Judge Sarah Clarke wrote that Mr. Winehouse knew that the items were going to be auctioned, and that he chose to bring “an inherently weak claim” and pursue it “aggressively and relentlessly to the end.” Mr. Winehouse, the judge wrote, also made “serious and unfounded allegations against the defendants, which significantly damaged their reputations, career prospects, financial security and health.”
Lawyers for Mr. Winehouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a message posted on social media on Wednesday, Ms. Parry, the singer’s former stylist, praised the judge’s ruling.
“This litigation has consumed almost five years of my life,” she said. “It has destroyed my career and cost me more than I can put into words. But the best thing to come out of it is that the judge has unequivocally cleared my name and reputation.”
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
