Levon Helm Studios takes Amy Helm to court

Levon Helm Studios has filed a lawsuit against Amy Helm, the singer-songwriter daughter of late Band drummer Levon Helm, accusing her of self-dealing, trademark infringement and causing the studio $2 million in damages. The 61-page complaint was filed in federal court in New York on August 10, Pitchfork and NME reported.

The suit claims Amy charged $400,000 to the studio for personal expenses and took an additional $200,000 from the Levon Helm Estate, including from an LLC used to distribute royalties from her father's final albums, which it says kept money from reaching people who worked on the projects. According to court documents cited by NME, a review of the studio's financial records "uncovered millions of dollars of self-dealing transactions apparently authorised by Amy, or for her benefit." The suit also accuses her of infringing on the name Midnight Ramble, the concert series her father started at the studio and that she continued after his death, by trademarking her own version, Helm Family Midnight Ramble, and diverting its revenue.

The lawsuit follows a dispute that began earlier this year between Amy, her stepmother Sandra Helm, and two other studio shareholders, Brian Parillo and Barbara O'Brien. In May, the other three parties removed Amy as the studio's president over alleged mismanagement; Amy in turn accused Parillo of financially exploiting Sandra, which he has denied. The complaint alleges camera footage shows Amy "spent hours berating" Sandra over the leadership change, and that after realizing she was being filmed, she "cursed at Brian and shoved him." Police were called to the studio in Woodstock over the alleged confrontation, though no charges were filed.

Amy has denied the new allegations, saying in a statement carried by Rolling Stone that "hustlers are attempting to scare and intimidate me" and calling the filing "spoon-fed to the media as an attempt to smear my name and make a cash grab." Parillo, in a separate statement, said he had always felt like family with the Helms but that the studio "has obligations to its ticketholders, artists, and employees, and those obligations weren't being met."

A representative for Amy declined further comment, and Pitchfork said it had reached out to Levon Helm Studios for comment. The case adds to a busy month of legal news across country and Americana circles.