Amy Helm sues for control of Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock

Singer Amy Helm has filed a lawsuit seeking to return as director and president of Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, the venue known as the Barn. The filing describes her removal earlier this year as an “illegal takeover” of the company, according to Rolling Stone.

Control of the Barn shifted earlier this year to Brian Parillo, a local musician and friend of Levon Helm. Parillo was given a 10 percent shareholder stake when Levon Helm Studios was incorporated in the mid-2000s. He took charge with the backing of Sandra “Sandy” Helm and Barbara O’Brien.

Sandy Helm is the widow of Levon Helm and Amy Helm’s stepmother. O’Brien is Levon Helm’s former manager and a minority shareholder in the studio company.

Amy Helm’s lawsuit centres on paperwork signed in May and June 2025. It claims Parillo persuaded Sandy Helm to step down as a director in late May and early June and to assign him her voting rights. It then claims Parillo convinced Sandy Helm and another shareholder to sign a shareholder consent in June 2025 to remove Amy as a director.

The lawsuit argues those steps were invalid. It states the company’s Certificate of Incorporation does not allow shareholders to act by written consent of fewer than all shareholders. It states Amy never signed any of the consents used to remove her. It also states no shareholder meeting to remove her was ever noticed or held.

The filing further alleges Parillo’s actions are void because they were produced through undue influence over a vulnerable person who lacked the ability to understand their nature and consequences. Sandy Helm is not named as a defendant in the new lawsuit.

That allegation sits alongside a separate dispute over the Levon Helm estate. Amy Helm’s lawsuit claims Parillo coerced Sandy Helm into signing the 2025 consent after Amy alleged in that separate matter that Sandy had misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars in estate assets. In prior court filings tied to the estate case, Amy claimed Sandy was susceptible to manipulation and accused Parillo of financial exploitation and elder abuse.

Amy Helm is asking the court to remove Parillo and to recognise her as director and president. She also asks for a declaration that Parillo’s actions are void and that he had no authority to bring a federal lawsuit filed against her in August.

That August case was brought by the Barn’s new management team. It accused Amy Helm of financial mismanagement during her tenure as president between 2017 and 2026. It claimed a review of company financial records had uncovered millions of dollars of self-dealing transactions apparently authorised by Amy or for her benefit.

The August filing listed $400,000 in charges to the studio company for items including touring expenses, personal tax repayments, health and life insurance, and her driver. A separate report on that case said she was accused of causing at least $2 million in damages, according to Rolling Stone. As of August 2026, Parillo had been identified as the newly installed president.

Both sides deny the claims against them. Sandy Helm has denied Amy Helm’s claims and continued to voice support for Parillo. Parillo has denied Amy Helm’s claims and accused Amy of denying him and other shareholders access to corporate records.