Amy Helm sued Brian Parillo in New York State Supreme Court in Ulster County on Friday, October 16, 2026, claiming he took control of Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock through invalid shareholder consents. It follows the company's August federal suit, which accuses her of self-dealing and of infringing its Midnight Ramble trademark. Both sides deny the other's claims.
Stereogum called it a countersuit. Strictly, it is a separate 34-page complaint in state court, filed while the company's 61-page case against her sits in federal court in Albany, according to the Times Union. Every claim on both sides is an allegation. No court has ruled on any of them, as of October 2026.
Who actually owns Levon Helm Studios?
Nobody holds a majority. Amy Helm and Sandra Helm, Levon Helm's widow and Amy's stepmother, each own 40% of the company. Parillo and shareholder Barbara O'Brien each own 10%, figures Parillo gave the Times Union. What changed in May was the vote, not the shares: Parillo claims voting assignments from Sandra Helm and O'Brien that give him control of 60% of the voting power.
Amy Helm's complaint says that is where the takeover fails. It argues the company's certificate of incorporation, along with state law, requires every shareholder to sign a written consent for any action taken without a meeting. She says she never signed one and that no shareholder meeting was ever noticed or held, so the removal of her as director and president, and Parillo's naming himself sole director, president, secretary and treasurer, are void. She asks to be reinstated, for Parillo to be removed, for unspecified damages and for an accounting of his management.
The complaint also alleges “undue influence” over Sandra Helm, and claims Parillo told her he planned to force Amy to buy the company back for $5 million. Parillo has said accusations that he financially exploited or manipulated Sandra Helm are “categorically false.” Responding to the new suit, he said: “I disagree with Amy's complaint, and I'll respond to it in court.”
What does the company say Amy Helm did?
The August complaint, filed by Levon Helm Studios under Parillo, accuses Amy Helm and six others, including her former attorney, the company's former accountant and her booking agent, of a years-long scheme. It alleges more than $400,000 in expenses with “no apparent business purpose,” including rent on her home, a driver and a touring van lease, and seeks at least $2 million. Amy Helm has denied the allegations, calling them “baseless” to WAMC, and has called the fight a “shakedown.”
| Filed | Who sued whom, where | Core claim |
|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | Amy Helm, Ulster County Surrogate's Court | Remove Sandra Helm as administrator of Levon Helm's estate |
| Aug 10, 2026 | Levon Helm Studios v. Amy Helm and six others, U.S. District Court, Albany | Self-dealing, Midnight Ramble trademark, at least $2 million |
| Oct 16, 2026 | Amy Helm v. Brian Parillo, NY Supreme Court, Ulster County | Invalid consents, undue influence, reinstatement |
The name, the mark and the room are three different things
This is the part every estate in music should read twice. The company says it has used “Midnight Ramble” since 2004 and registered it as a federal service mark in 2011. When Amy Helm applied for “The Helm Family Midnight Ramble,” the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected it in June 2024 for likelihood of confusion, per the federal complaint. The company says it sent her agent a cease-and-desist letter on June 10, and that about a week later her band became The Helm Family Ramble Band.
The company owns the name of the jam session. The fight now is over who speaks for the name of the man.
Levon Helm's own name, image and likeness are another matter. Amy Helm's complaint alleges Parillo used them without the estate's authorization, and says counsel for the estate's public administrator sent him a cease-and-desist on October 15. Who registered a mark, and who controls the company that holds it, decides who can use a brand, the same question at the center of Sara Landry's Hekate Records suit. Artists now file even a spoken greeting, as with Taylor Swift's sound mark, and the fight over voice and likeness consent runs on the same question.
The cost so far lands on the room. Artists canceled in solidarity with Amy Helm, many ticketholders were still waiting on refunds months later, and the Times Union reports the last shows at the 250-capacity Barn were Laith Al-Saadi's on September 25 and 26. The next listed is Foy Vance on April 29. Parillo's line: “Levon built the Barn to bring people together, and that's still what it's for.” A state judge now decides who gets to say so for the company.