A judge in Los Angeles County has ruled that Lady Gaga is not obligated to fulfill the $500,000 reward she promised for the safe return of her French bulldogs following a dognapping incident in 2021.
According to a court document filed on Monday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Judge Holly J. Fujie absolved the singer of any obligation to provide Jennifer McBride, 53, who was one of the suspects in the incident, with the reward, or any compensation for purported damages and emotional distress, The Washington Post reported.
"No one can take advantage of his own wrong," the judge wrote in a ruling notice. "A plaintiff must come into court with clean hands, and keep them clean, or be denied relief, regardless of the merits of the claim."
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, made a plea to the public for assistance when her dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was attacked and seriously wounded while two of her three French bulldogs were stolen in February, 2021.
"My beloved dogs Koji and Gustav were taken in Hollywood," Lady Gaga posted on social media at the time, adding that she would pay $500,000 "for their safe return."
"If you bought or found them unknowingly, the reward is the same," she wrote in a separate post.
Hours later, McBride brought the stolen dogs to a Los Angeles police station.
She was arrested along with four other suspects the following April, but still insisted on getting the $500,000 reward.
In February, McBride sued Lady Gaga, claiming that the singer broke their agreement and deceived her.
McBride said she believed she deserved the money because she thought the reward was guaranteed for returning the bulldogs with "no questions asked." In her complaint, McBride stated that she had returned the dogs safely.
Lady Gaga has not commented on the lawsuit but she did praise Fischer for his quick actions to protect her dogs right after the incident.
"I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family," she wrote on social media, according to the Post. "You're forever a hero."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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