A federal lawsuit filed in New York, United States, accuses Amy Helm, daughter of the late musician Levon Helm, of causing at least $2 million in damages to Levon Helm Studios through alleged self-dealing during her time as president.
Alleged Self-Dealing Transactions#
The suit, filed on Monday, claims a review of financial records uncovered “millions of dollars of self-dealing transactions apparently authorized by Amy, or for her benefit.” It focuses on her tenure from 2017 to 2026.
According to the filing and statements from shareholder Brian Parillo, Helm charged approximately $400,000 to the venue for expenses including:
- Touring costs
- Personal tax repayments
- Health and life insurance
- A personal driver
- Her personal lawyer’s fees
Of that sum, $167,000 was deemed so unrelated to the business that her accountant, also named as a defendant, could not justify them as legitimate expenses.
Management Dispute and Altercation#
The lawsuit also details a personal dispute between Amy Helm, her stepmother Sandy Helm, and Parillo. Security camera footage from May 28, two days after Helm was removed from the management group, allegedly shows her “spent hours berating” Sandy and demanding she withdraw support for the management change. Parillo and others recorded parts of the argument; after noticing she was being filmed, Helm allegedly cursed at Parillo and shoved him. Police were called but no charges were filed.
Helm’s Response#
In a statement, Amy Helm denied the allegations as “baseless” and “spurious.” She added:
“My legal team finds it interesting to note that media received this filing a full day before it was received by the court. It is clear what the intention is behind this filing: publicity.”
Impact on Royalties and Legacy#
The suit further alleges Helm took out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans from the Levon Helm Estate, including an LLC established to distribute royalties from Levon’s final three albums. As a result, the LLC was unable to pay royalties to the musicians who performed on those recordings for four years.
Parillo stated:
“Levon and Sandy always treated me like family, and I felt the same about Amy. There’s no version of this I’m happy about. But Levon Helm Studios has obligations to its ticketholders, artists, and employees, and those obligations weren’t being met. Levon’s legacy isn’t being honored if this place falls apart.”
