Luke Combs took to social media Wednesday morning to say that he was “sick to my abdomen” after waking as much as study that he had gained a $250,000 judgment in opposition to a Florida girl who’d earned $380 promoting 18 handmade drink tumblers along with his likeness on them. The nation famous person stated he was “fully and completely unaware” of the lawsuit in his title, or the judgment that was handed down in Illinois court docket, till his consideration was directed to a tv information interview with the crying girl.
Combs stated he had simply personally referred to as the defendant within the lawsuit, Nicol Harness, and pledged to ship her $11,000 to fulfill her speedy wants — double the $5,500 she stated was locked up in her Amazon retailer account, now that each one her earnings are earmarked to go towards the $250,000 a decide stated she owes Combs.
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Furthermore, the singer stated that he now plans to promote his personal tumbler by his merch retailer, and can direct all of the proceeds from that to merchandise to serving to with Harness’ medical payments.
“We do have an organization that goes after people — solely, supposedly, massive firms working internationally that make hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of {dollars} — making counterfeit T-shirts, issues of that nature, working unlawful companies,” Combs stated in his video message on Instagram. “And apparently this girl, Nicol, has someway gotten wrapped into that, and that makes me completely sick to my abdomen.”
Within the WFLA news report out of Tampa that grabbed Combs’ consideration, a weeping Harness stated that she had not even recognized she was being sued as a result of the discover went to a spam folder in an AOL account she hardly ever makes use of. She solely realized of the authorized motion in opposition to her when she bought discover of the $250,000 positive, days upon returning house from a hospital keep for congestive coronary heart failure.
“It’s very tense. I don’t have cash to pay my payments,” stated Harness, who bought the concept to make the Combs tumblers after attending his present in Tampa earlier this yr, in her interview with WFLA. “I simply need this resolved. I didn’t imply any hurt to Luke Combs. I give up promoting the tumbler. I pulled it down. I simply don’t perceive.” She stated promoting gadgets by an Amazon storefront is her major supply of earnings, and that firm lower off her entry to that cash after the judgment.
In line with WFLA, regardless that lawsuits in Florida require a defendant to be served with paperwork in particular person, the regulation is completely different in Illinois, permitting attorneys to serve an individual by way of e mail — apparently with none affirmation that the e-mail was really obtained. The $250,000 judgment has already been rendered, so it’s unclear the way it is likely to be reversed, if that’s Combs’ want.
Combs’ reps stated his workforce has no additional remark presently past the singer’s video assertion.
The judgment was reportedly rendered in opposition to a number of counterfeit sellers, of which Harness was only one, with every being slapped with the $250,000 positive.
His Instagram video, labeled “Lawsuit Response,” started: “What’s up guys? Luke right here. It’s 7:27 a.m. right here in Tennessee. I awakened at 5 a.m. to make use of the restroom and very first thing I noticed was this” — the WFLA information report ran within the background behind him, as he spoke — about “a lady that’s being sued by me for $250,000. I spent the final two hours attempting to make this proper, attempting to determine what’s occurring, as a result of I used to be fully and completely unaware of this. … Firstly, my supervisor reached out to this information station that ran this piece to attempt to get some data…”
Combs stated that he “was in a position to get Nicol’s telephone quantity. I spoke to her this morning. She advised me that, you realize, she was completely shocked by this. I’m so apologetic. Speaking to her… It makes me sick, truthfully, that this could occur, particularly on the holidays. I can’t think about being in her sneakers. She advised me there’s $5,500 locked up in her Amazon account. I’m gonna double that, ship her $11,000 as we speak, simply so she doesn’t have something to fret about. She was by no means purported to be concerned in something like this. No fan ought to ever need to be concerned in something like this.
“And she or he bought in hassle, apparently, for making tumblers, so I’m gonna make my very own tumbler that’s gonna go up as we speak. I’ll maintain you posted on that, however all that cash is gonna go to Nicol and her household, to attempt to assist along with her medical payments. Hopefully that may assist her out.
“Once more, that is unbelievable. I used to be fully shocked after I noticed this this morning. It makes me sick. This isn’t one thing that I’d ever do. This isn’t the form of particular person I’m. I’m not grasping in any means, form or kind. Cash is the very last thing on my thoughts — I promise you guys that. And I invited Nicol and her household out to a present this yr so I might give her a hug and express regret in particular person.
Combs concluded his assertion by saying that he “needed to clear that up, man, as a result of it makes me sick for anyone to be considering that I’m this sort of particular person, as a result of I’m the farthest factor from it. So, love you guys and I’ll maintain you posted.”
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