Luke Combs Helps Fan Ordered To Pay Him $250,000 In Lawsuit Over Homemade Tumblers
Luke Combs stepped up in a big way after one of his fans was mistakenly sued for selling unauthorized merchandise.
Nicol Harness created Luke Combs-themed tumblers featuring his logo and likeness. She sold these tumblers on her Amazon store.
Harness told News Channel 8 she sold 18 tumblers for $20 each, and made $380 in sales.
Harness, who has congestive heart failure, was in the hospital at the time she received an email from Combs’ attorney. The email stated she was being sued for selling the tumblers, because she used Combs’ likeness without permission. She had 21 days to respond to the lawsuit.
While most states require notification of a lawsuit to be delivered in person, Illinois (where the suit was filed) allows notification by email.
RELATED: WOMAN ORDERED TO PAY LUKE COMBS $250K FOR SELLING TUMBLERS WITH HIS LOGO
How Luke Reacted After Learning About The Lawsuit – He Made Things Right
Harness didn’t see the email in time. She found it later after Amazon froze her store account.
A judge ruled against Harness, and ordered her to pay Combs $250,000:
“I don’t have money to pay my bills,” she said. “I just want this resolved — I didn’t mean any harm to Luke Combs.”
Combs responded swiftly after learning about Harness’ situation. In a video he posted on Instagram, Combs said he was “completely and utterly unaware” of the lawsuit.
Combs said his team goes after large corporations that make millions selling unauthorized merchandise. But “Apparently, this woman Nicol has somehow gotten wrapped into that, and that makes me absolutely sick to my stomach,” Combs said.
Combs dropped the lawsuit. He also offered to send Harness $11,000, double the amount in her Amazon store account before it closed.
“This is not something I would ever do, this is not the kind of person I am,” Combs said. “I’m not greedy in any way, shape or form. Money is the last thing on my mind, I promise you guys that. And I invited Nicol and her family out to a show this year, so I could give her a hug and say sorry in person.”
RELATED: LUKE COMBS GIVES GENEROUS RESPONSE TO FAN SUED FOR SELLING MERCH WITH HIS LIKENESS
View this post on Instagram
Nicol Harness Responds To Luke’s Generous Offer To Help Her After Lawsuit
Additionally, Combs’ team designed a tumbler for his official merchandise store. He unveiled the tumbler’s design in a post on his Instagram Story.
“All proceeds from this product will be donated to Nicol Harness and her family,” Combs said next to an image of the tumbler.
The tumbler is currently available for pre-order on Combs’ website for $20. You can pre-order your own tumbler here.
Harness responded to Combs’ generous actions. She expressed her thankfulness in a followup interview with News Channel 8, saying:
“[Luke is] a very nice guy, very understanding. I explained to him what happened, he understood.”
She continued to say, “I definitely learned about the copyright laws, and I know I will be more careful about what I post or sell on my store.”
Watch Harness’ new interview below.