Levon Helm Studios is struggling to refund tickets for the shows it has cancelled, Stereogum reported on September 1. The Woodstock venue has scrapped a run of dates as the feud between its owners continues, and the ticket money has not come back to buyers.
The dispute reached federal court last month. On August 10 the studio filed a 61-page complaint in New York against Amy Helm, the singer-songwriter daughter of the late Band drummer Levon Helm, accusing her of self-dealing, trademark infringement and causing $2 million in damages.
That suit claims Amy charged $400,000 to the studio for personal expenses and took a further $200,000 from the Levon Helm Estate, including from an LLC used to distribute royalties from her father's final albums. It also accuses her of infringing on the Midnight Ramble name, the concert series her father started at the studio, by trademarking her own Helm Family Midnight Ramble version.
The fight began earlier this year between Amy, her stepmother Sandra Helm and two other shareholders, Brian Parillo and Barbara O'Brien. In May the other three removed Amy as president over alleged mismanagement, and she in turn accused Parillo of financially exploiting Sandra, which he denies.
Amy Helm has denied the newer allegations. In a statement carried by Rolling Stone she said hustlers are attempting to scare and intimidate her, and called the filing a smear and a cash grab. Parillo has said the studio has obligations to ticketholders, artists and employees that were not being met.
The refunds are the part that reaches the public directly, because a cancelled show with no money returned is the point where a boardroom argument becomes a consumer problem. The full court filing was covered here in Levon Helm Studios taking Amy Helm to court, and refund and liability disputes are a recurring rock venue story, as in Live Nation settling a lawsuit over a fan's injury at a Luke Bryan show and Live Nation resisting calls to share more on its DOJ settlement.
The facts
- Levon Helm Studios has not issued refunds for cancelled shows.
- A dispute among the venue's owners caused the cancellations.
- The studio sued Amy Helm in federal court on August 10.
- The 61-page complaint alleges $2 million in damages.
- It claims $400,000 in personal expenses charged to the studio.
- Amy Helm was removed as president in May.
- She has denied the allegations.
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