This article originally appeared in the Times-Union by Maria M. Silva

WOODSTOCK — Amy Helm, who was removed as president of Levon Helm Studios in May, has sued her successor, Brian Parillo, alleging he used invalid corporate actions to seize control of the iconic music venue and improperly obtained voting power from the drummer’s widow.

The lawsuit marks the latest development in an increasingly bitter fight over the Woodstock venue. In a 34-page complaint filed late Friday in state Supreme Court in Ulster County, Helm alleged that Parillo used invalid corporate actions — including obtaining shareholder consents to remove her as the company’s sole director and install Parillo in her place — to take control of the company.

While Parillo now leads Levon Helm Studios, there is no majority owner of the business. Amy Helm and Levon Helm’s widow, Sandra Helm, each own 40% of the company, while Parillo and shareholder Barbara O’Brien each own 10%, Parillo previously told the Times Union. The complaint says Parillo also claims voting assignments from Sandra Helm and O’Brien, giving him purported control of 60% of the company’s voting power despite owning just 10% of its shares.

Parillo, a longtime shareholder, took control of the company in May. He has accused Amy Helm of withholding financial records from stakeholders and engaging in malfeasance, and has said he was made president to “conduct an investigation into how LHS has been run.”

Helm’s lawsuit argues that the company’s certificate of incorporation requires all shareholders to sign written consents for corporate actions taken without a meeting. According to the complaint, Parillo excluded Amy Helm from Levon Helm Studios’ management and declared himself the company’s sole director and its president, secretary and treasurer. Amy Helm said she never signed any of the documents consenting to that change in management and that no shareholder meeting was ever noticed or held, making the takeover void.

“I disagree with Amy’s complaint, and I’ll respond to it in court,” Parillo said in a statement provided by a spokesperson. “Levon built the Barn to bring people together, and that’s still what it’s for. Keeping music in that room, for the musicians who play there and the neighbors who come to hear them, is the best way I know to honor him. I’m going to keep doing that work, and I hope everyone who loves this place, including Levon’s family, will be part of its future.”

‘How do I undo this?’

The complaint traces the disputed actions to June 2025, when Parillo allegedly obtained Sandra Helm’s signature on a shareholder consent purporting to remove Amy Helm as a director. Sandra Helm, who is in her 70s and is Amy Helm’s stepmother, then signed a separate document, acting as the company’s purported sole director, that removed Amy Helm as president, according to the filing.

On May 26, Parillo allegedly obtained Sandra Helm’s signature on another shareholder consent purporting to remove her as the company’s sole director and install him in her place. He then signed a board consent naming himself president, secretary and treasurer and declaring that no one else had authority to act for the company, the complaint states.

Four days after Sandra Helm allegedly told the company’s lawyers she wanted to withdraw her support for Parillo, he obtained a document purporting to transfer to him the right to vote her shares, according to the complaint. Amy Helm’s attorneys argue that the company’s governing documents and state law required unanimous written consent for the actions taken without a meeting.

Helm alleges that Parillo’s actions amount to “undue influence” over Sandra Helm, whom she says is a vulnerable person unable to understand the nature and consequences of those documents. Citing her sworn affirmation in a separate dispute over the late drummer’s estate, Amy Helm said Sandra Helm told her that Parillo had “conned” her and that he and his lawyers “just keep getting in my head.”

“I thought, ‘they’ve conned me,” Sandy Helm reportedly told Amy Helm, according to the complaint. “I’m so gullible, they’re taking advantage of me. How do I undo this? I don’t know why I keep doing this.”

The complaint also alleges that Parillo told Sandra Helm he had a plan to force Amy Helm to buy the company back from him for $5 million and that Sandra Helm would be “set for life.”

Parillo has previously said accusations that he has been financially exploiting and manipulating Sandra Helm are “categorically false.” In a statement Monday, he said, “I don’t agree with how Sandy is being portrayed, and anyone who knows her knows that Amy’s account of Sandy is callous and untrue.”

The complaint also cites a July order from Ulster County Surrogate’s Court appointing a guardian ad litem for Sandra Helm in the estate proceeding. The court described her as “a person under disability” and directed the guardian to report on her ability to participate in the case.

In a report filed Oct. 12, the guardian ad litem said he did not yet understand why Sandra Helm had transferred her voting rights to Parillo or whether she fully appreciated the legal and practical consequences. He recommended that she receive a clear explanation of the transfer and its alternatives, with her reasons explored without pressure from interested parties.

The guardian also expressed concern that Sandra Helm retained the economic interest in her shares while transferring the right to vote them, which could affect her ability to participate in company decisions. The report said the guardian had not independently determined the validity or effect of the voting assignment. The guardian did not recommend finding that she was unable to participate in the estate proceeding.

The complaint also alleges that Parillo used the company’s resources to pursue federal litigation and that his attorneys threatened Amy Helm’s career. In a June 5 email cited in the filing, attorney Zachary Bohlender warned that “(w)e can make Amy radioactive” and reduce her “career as a touring musician” to “smoking ruins.”

The following day, Amy Helm was scheduled to perform at The Barn. According to the complaint, Parillo changed the locks and, through his attorneys, demanded that Amy Helm not contact her stepmother, not enter the premises and tell employees that Parillo controlled the company. After Amy Helm did not respond, Parillo canceled the show, allegedly claiming that it was due to a family emergency. The complaint says the cancellation deprived the company of income and alleges that Parillo’s attorneys threatened Amy Helm with a lawsuit if she disclosed the reason.

The lawsuit further alleges that Parillo used Levon Helm’s name, image and likeness without authorization from the drummer’s estate. On Oct. 15, the estate’s public administrator’s counsel sent Parillo a cease-and-desist demand, according to the complaint. The letter asserted that the conduct exposed the company to potential liability under state and federal law.

“The conduct and public smear campaign employed by the defendants in this state court action are now being addressed. For now, Amy’s complaint that we just filed speaks for itself,” said Benjamin Waisbren, an attorney for Amy Helm and a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP.

Waisbren added that Amy Helm would not make additional comments to the press while the litigation is active.

Dispute escalates as future remains murky

Friday’s filing comes after Levon Helm Studios sued Amy Helm in federal court in August, accusing her and her team of using the “Midnight Ramble” name without permission, diverting income from performances to a company she controlled, and engaging in transactions that benefited her at the expense of Levon Helm Studios.

It is the latest twist in the ongoing public family and business dispute that erupted this summer over control of Levon Helm Studios, popularly known as The Barn, the recording studio and 250-person concert venue. The conflict arose when Sandra Helm and Barbara O’Brien installed fellow shareholder Parillo as CEO on May 26, purportedly due to concerns about Amy Helm’s management of the business. Tensions escalated shortly thereafter following a confrontation between Parillo and Amy Helm, which each side has described differently.

The dispute spilled into public view two months later, when Amy Helm announced that two Helm Family Midnight Ramble jam sessions scheduled for August had been postponed and described circumstances surrounding the situation at Levon Helm Studios as “disturbing.”

The fallout has affected the venue’s finances, as a wave of artists have canceled shows in solidarity with Amy Helm. In the lawsuit, Helm also accused Parillo of canceling concerts — including one featuring Amy Helm — restricting her access to the Barn, and compelling Levon Helm Studios to sue her and former employees in federal court without authorization from the board. Amy Helm alleges these actions wasted company funds, cost Levon Helm Studios revenue and harmed its reputation. Many ticketholders were still waiting for refunds months later.

Two Laith Al-Saadi performances on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26 were the last shows held at The Barn. The next show, Foy Vance, is scheduled for April 29, according to the venue’s website.

Amy Helm, herself a musician, has called the battle over control of Levon Helm Studios a “shakedown” rather than a business dispute and accused Parillo and his team of manipulating Sandra Helm and trying to profit off her father’s legacy. Parillo has said the battle over control of the venue is a legal matter that should be resolved in court.

Amy Helm had made similar allegations in a separate court dispute over Levon Helm’s estate that began a year before the fight over control of Levon Helm Studios erupted. In May 2025, she asked a court to remove Sandra Helm as administrator of the estate, alleging she was mismanaging estate funds.