Luke Combs responds to merch lawsuit, vows to help fan: 'Trying to make this right'
Luke Combs has responded to a lawsuit against, among others, a woman who sold homemade tumblers and T-shirts with Combs' image on them.
"I woke up at 5 a.m. to use the restroom and first thing I saw was this," the award-winning "Fast Car" singer said in a TikTok video he shared Wednesday, referring to a story about a woman named Nicol Harness, who is one of several online sellers being sued. "A woman that's being sued by me for $250,000. I spent the last two hours trying to make this right."
In a complaint filed in federal court in Illinois in October which lists Combs as the plaintiff in the case represented by several attorneys for JiangIP LLC, an intellectual property and trademark law group, the singer appears to be taking action against several defendants, all of them online sellers who "have sold products using infringing and counterfeit versions of Combs's federally registered trademarks."
The complaint continues, stating that "a swarm of counterfeiters and infringers have decided to trade upon Plaintiff's reputation, goodwill, and valuable trademarks by selling and/or offering for sale products in connection with Plaintiff's trademarks" and are selling these items "at prices substantially below an original."
Elaine E. Bucklo, a United States district judge, ordered in November that Harness and other defendants must stop selling merchandise that infringes upon Combs' trademark and for each defendant to pay the singer $250,000. Because the defendants listed haven’t answered or appeared to the summons in any way, according to a default final judgment order, the court is ruling in favor of the plaintiff in this case.
But in his video, Combs said he was "completely and utterly unaware of this," and clarified that a company exists and is supposed to go after "large corporations operating internationally that make millions and millions of dollars" off of counterfeit merchandise, not small online business-owners like Harness.
"Nicol has somehow gotten wrapped into that and that makes me sick to my stomach," Combs said. "She was never supposed to be involved in anything like this. No fan should ever have to be involved in anything like this. And she got in trouble apparently for making tumblers."
The singer said he is trying to make the situation right by sending Harness $11,000 and promising proceeds from sales of a tumblr he said he will be creating to her and her family to help with her medical bills. He said he also invited Harness and her family to one of his shows so he could "give her a hug and say sorry in person."
Combs ended his video by saying that "this is not something I would ever do" and "not the kind of person I am."
"I'm not greedy in any way, shape or form. Money is the last thing on my mind, I promise you guys that," he said.
"Good Morning America" has reached out to Combs, Harness, and JiangIP LLC for comment.
