The father of late singer Amy Winehouse must pay two of his daughter's friends almost £1million after failing in a bid against them regarding the sale of auctioned items18:15, 29 Jul 2026Updated 18:15, 29 Jul 2026Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch has been ordered to pay just under £1million to two of his late daughter’s friends after a failed High Court claim over the auctioning of the late singer’s items.‌Mr Winehouse's failed bid against Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay also saw him build up legal costs of at least £950,000. He had claimed the women had profited from selling dozens of his daughter's items at US auctions and said they “deliberately concealed” their sales during 2021 and 2023.‌However, his claim was thrown out earlier this year by Judge Sarah Clarke, finding that he “knew all along“ about the intended sale and said that it was only afterwards that he began to be "aggressive and unpleasant” in the way he went about trying to get money from the pair.‌The judge said in Wednesday's judgment: "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 which significantly damaged their reputations, career prospects, financial security and health.”According to Judge Clarke, as of April, Ms Parry’s costs were estimated to be £715,361 and Ms Gourlay’s £487,132.‌Mr Winehouse was ordered to pay interim payments to each of the women. Ms Parry was to receive £569,330, while he was to pay £394,521 to Ms Gourlay. Both figures were to be paid within the next two weeks.It was revealed he must also pay both women’s legal costs on an indemnity basis. Judge Clarke accused Mr Winehouse of deliberately turning this case into large-scale and expensive litigation after he pursued his claim.The judge also said the late star's dad had wanted to expand his claim “very late in the day”. This is said to have led to the six-day trial in December and January overrunning by three days.‌The judge carried on: "This deliberate course of action was undertaken by the claimant with the aim of damaging the defendants’ reputations and professional prospects in order to force them to settle the litigation on his terms and pay him the proceeds of sale of their items.“He did so, knowing that they were vulnerable both financially and in status, and that his public allegations and insinuations of impropriety would only increase their vulnerability.‌“The fact that he knowingly and deliberately did this to two young women who had stood faithfully by Amy, and also by him and his family, and who had demonstrated their honesty and integrity over many years, makes his unreasonable conduct particularly serious.”She added: “I find that the defendants were fully entitled to defend their personal and professional reputations to the end, and that they had no other realistic option given the claimant’s serious and damaging allegations, his aggressive conduct throughout, his refusal to accept their explanations, his unrealistic settlement offers and the real risk that he would thereafter be free to continue making public allegations of deceit and dishonesty against them.”Amy Winehouse died on July 23, 2011. She was aged just 27 when she was found dead in her home in Camden, London, from accidental alcohol poisoning.Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.