Levon Helm Studios, the Woodstock, New York venue founded by the late Band drummer Levon Helm, has filed a federal lawsuit against his daughter Amy Helm, accusing her of years of "self-dealing" that cost the company at least $2 million. The suit, filed on Monday against Amy and seven other defendants, follows her removal from management in May and marks an escalation of a bitter dispute over control of the studio and its long-running Midnight Ramble concert series.

The lawsuit alleges Amy used company funds for personal expenses including her home, tax payments, health and life insurance, a driver, a personal lawyer and her tour van lease, concealing the transactions from other shareholders, with around $400,000 spent with "no apparent business purpose." It also claims she used show cancellations to obstruct an internal investigation and accuses her of copyright infringement, seeking to bar her from using the "Helm Family Midnight Ramble" name alongside repayment and punitive damages. Amy Helm, who previously accused new CEO Brian Parillo of "elder abuse" against her stepmother Sandra Helm, has called her ousting a "shakedown" and announced she will continue the Ramble as a touring act under a new name without "Midnight."