Mitch Winehouse, the singer’s father, sued the two women, arguing that they had no right to sell their belongings.
Two friends of the late British singer Amy Winehouse, who sold the star’s items valued at around £730,000 (R$5.3 million at current prices), took advantage of her father’s carelessness, a lawyer declared at the High Court in London this Tuesday (27).
The singer’s former stylist Naomi Parry and her friend Catriona Gourlay sold dozens of items, including a black Armani bag and dresses that Winehouse wore on her final tour in June 2011, shortly before she died at age 27.
Mitch Winehouse sued the two women, arguing that they had no right to sell these belongings. According to his lawyer, Henry Legge, Mitch and his ex-wife Janis received an email informing them that the sale included only “a few minor details”, a description he described as “highly misleading”.
“It is clear that they took advantage of Mitch Winehouse’s lack of attention,” added the lawyer. According to court documents, Mitch Winehouse believed the proceeds from the auction held by Los Angeles-based Julien’s Auctions would go to him.
It had also been agreed that a third of the profits would be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, created to help young people, which the two women did not do, says the singer’s father.
Amy Winehouse, known for her soulful voice, her pin-up style with tattoos and her excesses, passed away from alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011after a meteoric career. Catriona Gourlay’s lawyer, Ted Loveday, stated during a preliminary hearing in December that most of the items had been donated or loaned to the two women by the singer, although there was no evidence to support that claim.
*With information from AFP
