A judge on Monday granted Lady Gaga’s motion to dismiss a civil suit brought by a woman who claimed she was entitled to the $500,000 reward that the singer offered for the safe return of her two stolen French bulldogs in 2021.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly J. Fujie issued a tentative ruling on Friday in favor of Lady Gaga and against plaintiff Jennifer McBride. The final ruling was confirmed after the arguments presented during Monday’s hearing.
In her complaint, McBride alleged that Lady Gaga deceived her into surrendering the dogs by promising that she wouldn’t face any consequences if she returned them.
“Plaintiff was not involved in the theft of Lady Gaga’s bulldogs and had no prior knowledge of it,” stated the amended complaint.
McBride filed a lawsuit for breach of contract, fraud by false promise, and fraud by misrepresentation. She also sought compensation for legal fees, financial damages, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. McBride claimed that she fulfilled her obligation under the reward contract and accused Lady Gaga of never intending to pay the reward.
However, Lady Gaga’s lawyers disputed McBride’s claims, arguing that she was part of a conspiracy to steal the dogs.
“Put simply, California law does not allow the plaintiff to commit a crime and profit from it, regardless of any attempts to reframe the situation,” stated the singer’s lawyers.
Judge Fujie expressed doubts about McBride’s claims during a previous hearing, but allowed her to file an amended complaint to make her case. However, the judge was not convinced by the arguments presented in the revised suit.
“If anything, the amended complaint makes it even clearer that McBride is not eligible to profit from her actions due to her unethical behavior,” wrote Judge Fujie.
“Unclean hands” is a legal term used when the plaintiff has acted unethically in relation to the circumstances leading to the lawsuit.
“While McBride alleges that she was not involved in the planning or commission of the theft of Gaga’s bulldogs, she admits that she knew the dogs were stolen from Gaga when she claimed the reward. She even contacted Gaga to obtain the $500,000.00 for property she knew was stolen,” stated Judge Fujie.
According to McBride’s amended complaint, she understood that Lady Gaga would pay the reward money without asking any questions, regardless of the fact that the animals were stolen from the singer’s dog walker.
Based on the reward offer, McBride took possession of the bulldogs to ensure their safety and return, as stated in the revised complaint. The plaintiff also claimed to have suffered substantial psychological and emotional distress due to media criticism.
On February 26, 2021, two days after the dogs were stolen, Lady Gaga tweeted that she would pay $500,000 for their safe return. On the same day, McBride brought the dogs to the Los Angeles Police Department, and they were later returned to Gaga.
“At the time, plaintiff presented herself as a good Samaritan who found the dogs on the street by chance and ‘had no idea’ they belonged to Gaga,” stated Lady Gaga’s attorneys.
In reality, McBride was directly involved in the criminal enterprise, and her story fell apart under LAPD scrutiny. She was subsequently arrested, pleaded no contest to knowingly receiving stolen property, and was sentenced to two years of probation in December, according to Lady Gaga’s lawyers.
Lady Gaga’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was shot once in the chest on February 24, 2021, while walking the three dogs near Sunset Boulevard. Two of the dogs were stolen, but the third was later recovered.
After the arrests of other individuals involved in the attack, one of them mentioned McBride by name while lamenting the arrests. This detail was recorded while the suspect was placed in a cell adjacent to another suspect, according to court papers submitted by Lady Gaga’s attorneys.
Jackson, one of the suspects, pleaded no contest to attempted murder and received a 21-year prison sentence in December. The other suspect, White, pleaded no contest to second-degree robbery and was sentenced to four years in prison in August 2022.
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