Shocking Twist: Lady Gaga's Jaw-Dropping Escape From $500K Reward to Dognapping Woman
Judge dismisses lawsuit against Lady Gaga by dognapping accomplice, upholding her victory The singer avoids paying $500K reward to the woman involved in the incident
Lady Gaga Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Judge Holly J. Fujie has nullified the $500,000 reward owed by Lady Gaga to Jennifer McBride for locating the singer's two dogs, Koji and Gustavo. It was determined that McBride played a role in the dognapping incident.
In February 2021, McBride and four other individuals kidnapped Gaga's dogs, only to return them later. Two years later, McBride filed a lawsuit against Gaga, demanding the reward and seeking $1.5 million in compensation. In July, McBride's legal team argued that Gaga had committed fraud and breached the contract by stating that there would be no inquiries made when offering the reward.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a court order declaring McBride's lawsuit as "legally insufficient in its entirety" due to her involvement in the theft.
Despite pleading no contest to the charges, McBride maintains her innocence, stating that she only "took possession" of the dogs temporarily before returning them to a police station in Los Angeles. Gaga's legal team dismissed this claim as nonsensical.
McBride was sentenced to two years probation in December 2022. On Monday, October 2, Judge Fujie declared the case closed.
The incident in question refers to the dognapping that led to the shooting of Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer. Fischer suffered severe injuries and was on the brink of death. James Jackson, a 19-year-old, was subsequently identified as the individual responsible for shooting Fischer. Jackson received a sentence of 21 years in prison for attempted murder and causing great bodily harm in December 2022.
During the sentencing, Fischer directly addressed Jackson, expressing forgiveness despite the tremendous impact the attack had on his life. He acknowledged that saying those words was essential for him to truly move forward after being shot. Referring to the dogs, Fischer emphasized that they were safely returned to their mother, emphasizing how the thought of them potentially dying would have weighed heavily on his conscience. The incident resulted in Fischer enduring a collapsed lung and significant financial hardship, leading him to seek refuge with Gaga while he recovered.
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