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.Now, Amy Helm has 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, and improperly obtained voting power from Levon Helm’s widow.In May, Amy Helm was removed as president of LHS by Sandra Helm, her stepmother and Levon's widow, as well as LHS shareholders Brian Parillo and Barbara O’Brien.
The three claimed she had mismanaged the venue.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 in Woodstock.No charges were filed.In this new 34-page complaint filed on October 16 in the state Supreme Court, Amy Helm alleges that Parillo took control of LHS by way of voting assignments.
Any and Sandra Helm both own 40% of the company, while Parillo and O’Brien own 10% each.The lawsuit states that Parillo claimed voting assignments from Sandra Helm and O’Brien, thus getting a purported control of 60% of the company’s voting power despite owning just 10% of its shares.In the new lawsuit, Amy Helm’s attorneys state that LHS’s certificate of incorporation requires all shareholders to sign written consents for corporate actions taken without a meeting.
Parillo allegedly excluded her from LHS’s management and declared himself the company’s director, president, secretary, and treasurer.Amy Helm goes on to allege that she never signed any documents consenting to that change in management, that no shareholder meeting was held, and that his takeover is void.The complaint goes on to ...