Amy Winehouse father ordered to pay friends £950,000

A London judge ordered Amy Winehouse's father, Mitch Winehouse, on Wednesday to pay £950,000 ($1.26 million) to two of the late singer's friends after he unsuccessfully sued them over the auction of her clothes and other belongings.

Mitch Winehouse had earlier this year lost a High Court case in London against Naomi Parry, Amy Winehouse's former stylist, and Catriona Gourlay, a friend of the singer.

Parry and Gourlay denied acting dishonestly. They said the items they sold had been given or lent to them. Mitch Winehouse argued they had no right to sell them.

The 155 items auctioned between 2021 and 2023 included clothes, ballet slippers, handbags, earrings, make-up and a dress Amy Winehouse wore on her final tour in 2011.

Judge Sarah Clarke found that the two women had not deliberately hidden any of the items from Mitch Winehouse, who she said knew about the planned sale and pursued them for money only after it had been 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," Clarke said.

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