Mitch Winehouse ‘a bully’ who knew about ownership of auction items, court told

The organiser of the auction of hundreds of items connected to Amy Winehouse has told the High Court that the singer’s father is “a bully” and there was “no question” that he knew her friends were selling pieces at the event.

Mitch Winehouse, acting as the administrator of his daughter’s estate, is suing the singer’s stylist Naomi Parry and friend Catriona Gourlay.

Lawyers for Mr Winehouse previously told a trial in London that Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay profited from selling dozens of the singer’s items at auctions in the US in 2021 and 2023, which he was not informed about and that they did not have the right to sell.

The women are defending the claim and their barristers say the items were either given as gifts by Ms Winehouse or were already owned by them.

Henry Legge KC, for Mr Winehouse, told the trial in written submissions that the auctions were organised by Darren Julien, of Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, who first contacted Mr Winehouse in 2014.

Mr Julien then contacted Ms Parry, who indicated she would be willing to sell “my collection” in 2018, with Ms Gourlay indicating she would be willing to sell items in 2019, Mr Legge said.

Ms Winehouse died aged 27 from alcohol poisoning in July 2011, and Mr Julien described her on Thursday as “an icon”.

Giving evidence by video link from Palm Springs, California, Mr Julien said that when Mr Winehouse agreed to consign items to the 2021 auction, he “was just bolted on” to what he, Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay were “already going to do”.

He also said that he, Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay were “not conspiring” against Mr Winehouse, and “we did want him to be happy”.

Mr Julien said: “We were very straightforward with Mitch all the way along.

“I don’t buy that I was conspiring against Mitch. I have better uses of my time.”

The auctioneer later said: “Every day he could change his mind on something.

“He is a bully. He would bully us; he would bully Naomi and Catriona.

“It is just in his nature where, if he wants something, he is very, very nice, but if he does not want something and he does not have any type of leverage, he will bully.

“That is just how he always is.”

Mr Julien said he “cannot accept” that Mr Winehouse was unaware that others were selling items at the auction.

He said: “Mitch knew all along that these items were consigned by Naomi and Catriona, no question.”

Mr Legge told the court in written submissions that Mr Winehouse believed that all the items, numbering around 830, in the 2021 auction catalogue were owned by the estate, but that the two women were “asserting ownership of over 150”.

He also said that Mr Julien “did not take steps to correct Mr Winehouse’s obvious impression” that all of the lots catalogued for the 2021 auction “belonged to and were being sold by the estate”.

In his evidence, Mr Winehouse said the suggestion that he was suing the two women out of jealousy was “wrong”.

He also said he believed “everything in the auction catalogue belonged to us”, and it was “billed as a single seller auction”.

But Mr Julien told the court that while the auction was billed as a “single owner” sale, these were often “around one celebrity, but usually in this type of sale we have multiple consignors”.

The auctioneer also said Mr Winehouse had a “selective memory”, including over whether he owned a silk mini-dress worn by Ms Winehouse in her final performance in Belgrade, Serbia, which Ms Parry auctioned for 243,200 dollars (£182,656) in 2021.

He said: “There was no misunderstanding that Naomi owned that dress… but it went for so much, I don’t know, selective memory, (Mr Winehouse) just thought it was his.

“I was flabbergasted that Mitch thinks he owns it, after all that dialogue.”

Mr Legge later suggested to Mr Julien that he and Ms Parry worked as a “tag team” to persuade Mr Winehouse to sell items at auction.

Mr Julien replied: “No, we were just both trying to work together to get Mitch to take part in the auction, but it was not underhanded at all.”

At the end of his cross-examination, Mr Legge said he would ask the court “not to accept” Mr Julien’s evidence regarding “what you said happened” at meetings with Mr Winehouse.

This phase of the trial before Sarah Clarke KC, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, is due to conclude on Friday, and it will resume in January.