Amy Winehouse's father loses High Court claim against daughter's friends over 'sold belongings'

Olivia Gantzer
Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:26:19 +0000

Amy Winehouse's father Mitch has been unsuccessful in his High Court legal action against two close associates of his late daughter Amy over the sale of the singer's personal belongings.

The father of the Back to Black star, who serves as administrator of her estate, brought proceedings against Naomi Parry, who worked as Amy's stylist, and Catriona Gourlay, a friend of the musician.

Mr Winehouse alleged the pair had made money by selling numerous items that belonged to his daughter at auction houses across the United States during 2021 and 2023.

The claim sought hundreds of thousands of pounds in damages.

Amy Winehouse died in July 2011 at the age of 27 after suffering alcohol poisoning.

During a trial held in December, legal representatives for Mr Winehouse argued that Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay had failed to notify him about their intention to sell the items.

His barrister Henry Legge KC told the court that the singer's father believed the two women had "deliberately concealed" their auction activities from him.

The legal team maintained that pursuing this case represented Mr Winehouse's "only means of obtaining answers" about what had happened to his daughter's possessions.

The disputed items were sold at American auction houses over two separate occasions, with the estate claiming significant sums had been generated from the sales.

Mr Winehouse contended that he should have been informed about the transactions as the person responsible for managing Amy's estate.

Both defendants contested the allegations, with their legal representatives arguing that the items in question had either been given to them as gifts by Amy herself or were possessions they had owned independently.

Ms Parry stated in her written evidence that she believed the Winehouse family "knew I was auctioning items," asserting that Mr Winehouse had been made aware of this during a meeting in October 2018.

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The stylist further expressed her conviction that Amy "would have wanted me and Catriona to be financially secure."

Ms Parry also disputed the financial figures put forward by the estate, describing the amounts being sought by Mr Winehouse as "inflated."

Ms Gourlay similarly maintained that the belongings she sold were legitimately hers to dispose of.

Deputy High Court judge Sarah Clarke KC delivered her ruling on Monday, finding against Mr Winehouse's claims.

In her judgment, she stated: "I find that neither Ms Parry nor Ms Gourlay deliberately concealed any of their disputed items from the claimant and even if I am wrong about that, Mr Winehouse could have discovered what disputed items the defendants had with reasonable diligence."

The judge's conclusion effectively rejected the central allegation that the two women had hidden their auction activities from the estate administrator.

Her finding that Mr Winehouse could have uncovered the information himself through reasonable efforts proved particularly damaging to his case.

Amy Winehouse achieved international fame with her 2006 album Back to Black before her death from alcohol poisoning aged 27.