Lady Gaga, the renowned singer and actress, has emerged victorious in a legal battle concerning a $500,000 (£410,000) reward related to the dognapping incident that occurred in 2021. A US judge, Holly J Fujie, recently ruled in her favor, determining that she does not have to pay the substantial reward to Jennifer McBride.
Jennifer McBride had previously filed a lawsuit against Lady Gaga, seeking both the promised "no questions asked" reward and an additional $1.5 million (£1.2 million) in damages. Her argument centered around the fact that she played a pivotal role in safely returning Lady Gaga's dogs after they were stolen.
The judge's decision, however, was based on the grounds that Jennifer McBride's involvement in the return of the dogs had resulted in her conviction for receiving stolen goods. Ms. McBride had asserted that her intention was solely to ensure the safe return of the two bulldogs, but this was met with legal challenges.
Ms. McBride's legal team contended that Lady Gaga had violated the terms of their contract and committed fraud by failing to honor the reward agreement following the dogs' return. Nevertheless, Judge Holly J Fujie determined that Ms. McBride could not "thereafter benefit from their wrongdoing by seeking to enforce the contract."
To recap the events, in February 2021, Lady Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was shot in the chest during a walk in Hollywood, a crime characterized by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office as a "cold-hearted violent act." Fortunately, Mr. Fischer survived but had to undergo lung surgery.
In December of the same year, James Howard Jackson received a 21-year prison sentence for attempted murder. Jackson and his accomplices had taken two of Lady Gaga's dogs, Koji and Gustavto, following the shooting, while a third dog, Miss Asia, managed to escape and was later recovered by the police.
The two stolen dogs were ultimately returned unharmed by Jennifer McBride just two days later, in response to Lady Gaga's reward offer. However, Ms. McBride was arrested in April 2021, along with four others, and faced charges of being an accessory to attempted murder.
In December, Ms. McBride entered into a plea deal, resulting in the dropping of the attempted murder charge. Instead, she pleaded no contest to receiving stolen property, receiving a two-year probation sentence. Throughout the legal proceedings, she consistently denied any involvement in the theft, maintaining that she had taken possession of Lady Gaga's pets "for the specific purpose of ensuring their protection and safely returning them," a claim that was met with skepticism by Lady Gaga's legal team.
In her ruling, Judge Holly J Fujie maintained that Jennifer McBride's actions precluded her from claiming the reward, stating that she "has unclean hands that prevent her from profiting from her actions."
Published: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67003283
Date Published: Friday 6 October 2023
Image courtesy of: eschipul
