Amy Helm, singer-songwriter and daughter of late Band member Levon Helm, has been accused of self-dealing, trademark infringement, and inflicting $2 million in damages to Levon Helm Studios (LHS), amongst different costs, in accordance with a brand new lawsuit filed in federal court docket on Monday, August 10.
In a 61-page criticism obtained by Pitchfork, LHS claims Amy Helm charged $400,000 to the studio to cowl private bills and took an extra $200,000 from the Levon Helm Property, together with from an LLC used to distribute royalties from Levon’s last albums, thereby stopping the Property from sending cash to those that labored on the tasks. The go well with additional claims Amy infringed on the identify Midnight Ramble—a live performance collection her father hosted at LHS and continued below Amy’s management after his dying—by creating her personal trademark, Helm Household Midnight Ramble, after which diverting the income into her personal firm.
Pitchfork has reached out to representatives of Levon Helm Studios. A consultant of Amy Helm’s declined to remark.
The information follows an ongoing dispute that started earlier this yr between Amy; her stepmother and Levon’s widow, Sandra Helm; and two extra LHS shareholders, Brian Parillo and Barbara O’Brien. In Could, Amy was eliminated by the opposite three events as president of LHS (also called “the Barn”) for alleged mismanagement. Amy, in flip, accused Parillo of monetary exploitation and elder abuse of Sandra in a June court docket submitting. Parillo has denied the costs. Following Amy’s removing, police had been known as to the Barn in Woodstock over an alleged bodily dispute between Parillo and Amy. Costs had been by no means filed.
In an interview final month with the Overlook, Sandra responded to Amy’s preliminary claims, stating, “I didn’t like that they needed to painting Brian like some form of a puppet grasp or Svengali that got here in and overtook my thoughts. It’s been blown out of proportion. I simply needed to restructure Levon Helm Studios and convey it again to the glory days. And it’s so simple as that.”
