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Levon Helm Studios

Controversies

Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.

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  1. 2026

    Levon Helm Studios sues Amy Helm and former advisors over alleged self-dealing

    Lawsuit filed

    Levon Helm Studios filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York against Amy Helm, her booking agent, former attorneys, accountant and employees. The suit alleges a multiyear scheme to siphon millions of dollars from the studio through self-dealing transactions and to divert income to a competing entity, The Helm Family Midnight Ramble, before forcing its financial collapse. The claims include trademark infringement, breach of fiduciary duty, accounting malpractice and tortious interference. The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages plus an injunction against use of the competing name.

    Source excerpt

    • The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, claims while at the head of Levon Helm Studios, Amy Helm — the daughter of Levon Helm — her booking agent, Lori Peters; attorneys George Gilbert and Sharon Fletcher; certified public accountant Francis Flynn; general manager Christy Newman; and operations manager Jenn Van Steenburgh, along with The Helm Family Midnight Ramble LLC, conspired to in essence “nuke” Levon Helm Studios from within by diverting all income to Amy Helm’s newly created Levon Helm’s Barn LLC, and leaving Levon Helm Studios with “little assets, income or liability.”
    • The lawsuit alleges 13 separate causes of action against one or all of the named defendants, including federal trademark infringement, contributing to federal trademark infringement, federal unfair competition, common law trademark infringement and unfair competition, and conspiracy to commit trademark infringement — all connected to the creation of the competing “The Helm Family Midnight Ramble.”
    • WOODSTOCK, N.Y. — Levon Helm Studios, headed by its newly installed president Brian Parillo, has filed a federal lawsuit against Amy Helm as well as the organization’s former attorneys, accountant and employees, alleging a multiyear scheme to siphon off millions of dollars from the studio before forcing its financial collapse.
    Source