In August, Amy Helm—the daughter of late Band member Levon Helm, and a singer-songwriter in her own right—was sued in federal court for self-dealing, trademark infringement, and causing $2 million in damages to Levon Helm Studios (LHS), among other charges. Amy Helm has now countersued the studio, alleging that her successor, Brian Parillo, used invalid corporate actions to take control of the famed music venue in Woodstock, New York.
In May, Amy Helm was removed as president of LHS by her stepmother and Levon’s widow, Sandra Helm, as well as LHS shareholders Parillo and Barbara O’Brien, over allegations of mismanagement. In response, Amy Helm accused Parillo of financial exploitation and elder abuse of Sandra Helm in a June court filing; Parillo denied those charges. There was also a physical dispute between Parillo and Amy Helm after her removal, during which police were called to LHS. No charges were filed.
In a new 34-page complaint filed on October 16 in New York Supreme Court, Amy Helm alleges that Parillo took control of LHS by way of voting assignments. Amy and Sandra Helm both own 40 percent of the company, while Parillo and O’Brien each own 10 percent. The lawsuit states that Parillo claimed voting assignments from Sandra Helm and O’Brien—thus receiving a purported 60 percent of the company’s power despite owning only 10 percent of its shares—and declared himself director, president, secretary, and treasurer of LHS. Amy Helm’s attorneys state she never signed any documents consenting to that change, that no shareholder meeting was held, and that his takeover is void.
The lawsuit also claims Parillo’s actions amount to “undue influence” over Sandra Helm, citing her sworn affirmation in a separate dispute over Levon Helm’s estate, in which her stepmother allegedly said, “I thought, ‘they’ve conned me.‘ I’m so gullible, they’re taking advantage of me. How do I undo this? I don’t know why I keep doing this.” Also cited in the lawsuit is a July order from Ulster County Surrogate’s Court appointing a guardian ad litem for Sandra Helm in the estate proceeding, in which she was described as “a person under disability” and directed the guardian to report on her ability to participate in the case.
Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Amy Helm and Levon Helm Studios for comment.
Back in August, LHS claimed Amy Helm charged $400,000 to the studio to cover personal expenses, took an additional $200,000 from the Levon Helm Estate (including from an LLC that distributes royalties from Levon’s final albums, thus blocking the payment to those who worked on the records), and infringed on the Midnight Ramble name—a concert series her father hosted at LHS, which was continued under her leadership following his death—by creating her own trademark, Helm Family Midnight Ramble, and then diverting the revenue into her own company.
In an interview with the Overlook this summer, Sandra Helm responded to her stepdaughter’s early claims, stating, “I didn’t like that they wanted to portray Brian like some kind of a puppet master or Svengali that came in and overtook my mind. It’s been blown out of proportion. I just wanted to restructure Levon Helm Studios and bring it back to the glory days. And it’s as simple as that.”