Legal fight aims to undo alleged vote transfers at famed Woodstock music venue
The daughter of the late Band drummer Levon Helm has launched a court action to regain control of the storied recording and performance space known as the Barn in Woodstock, N.Y., accusing a minority shareholder of orchestrating an "illegal takeover" that removed her from management.
The complaint, filed Oct. 16, 2026, in the New York Supreme Court in Ulster County names Brian Parillo and seeks to have him removed from control of Levon Helm Studios. The suit asks the court to restore Amy Helm to her roles as president and director and to invalidate a sequence of corporate actions that she says unlawfully transferred authority to Parillo.
The dispute turns on the company's ownership and voting arrangements. According to the filing:
- Amy Helm and stepmother Sandra “Sandy” Helm are each listed as holding 40% ownership;
- Brian Parillo and Barbara O’Brien each hold 10% stakes;
- Despite that minority stake, Parillo asserts control of 60% of voting power through purported assignments from Sandra Helm and O’Brien.
In the complaint, Amy Helm contends those assignments violate the studio's governing documents, which she says require unanimous shareholder consent for corporate action taken without a meeting. She alleges she never signed the contested consents and that no properly noticed shareholder meeting occurred.
The lawsuit traces the contested corporate moves to June 2025, when Parillo allegedly persuaded Sandra Helm and another shareholder to sign a document that removed Amy Helm as a director. Further changes in May and June 2026 are described in the filing as transferring additional authority to Parillo, including the reassignment of Sandra Helm’s voting rights.
The complaint also accuses Parillo of exerting undue influence over Sandra Helm. It references separate estate proceedings in which Amy Helm has characterised Sandra as vulnerable to manipulation amid accusations — denied by Sandra — that she misappropriated substantial sums from Levon Helm’s estate. A court-appointed guardian in those estate proceedings has raised questions about Sandra Helm’s voting arrangements, the complaint says.
"The disputed consents were not signed by me and no properly noticed shareholder meeting took place," the complaint states, according to published reports.
Parillo has publicly rejected the accusations, and Sandra Helm has denied allegations of wrongdoing while expressing support for Parillo’s leadership, the reporting shows. The lawsuit seeks judicial relief to reverse the corporate changes and restore Amy Helm’s management roles.
Levon Helm Studios — the Barn — is a cultural touchstone associated with Levon Helm and The Band, attracting attention beyond its immediate region. The legal contest over its governance raises immediate questions about who will direct the venue’s operations and stewardship of its legacy if the court finds the contested votes were invalid.
Pending further proceedings in Ulster County, the litigation underscores how governance structures and voting arrangements can become focal points in disputes over heritage properties. For Woodstock residents and fans of the Barn, the case will be watched for its potential impact on the venue’s leadership and programming going forward.
| Party | Ownership stake | Alleged voting control |
|---|---|---|
| Amy Helm | 40% | — |
| Sandra "Sandy" Helm | 40% | — |
| Brian Parillo | 10% | Claims 60% via assignments |
| Barbara O’Brien | 10% | Assignments alleged |
