Luke Combs has made peace with one of his loyal fans not long after unintentionally causng the legal trouble. Photo / Getty Images
Luke Combs has made peace with one of his loyal fans not long after unintentionally causng the legal trouble. Photo / Getty Images
Luke Combs, a popular Nashville-based country singer, has given back to one of his dear fans following a stressful encounter with his legal team that saw the woman facing a whopping $400,000 fine.
When an unsuspecting disabled woman from Florida was ordered by an Illinois court to pay US$250,000 ($402,648) for selling a couple of tumblers on Amazon with Combs’ image on them, the legal challenge caught her by total surprise.
Combs and his legal team had filed a lawsuit within an Illinois federal court earlier this year in an effort to stop companies making money off selling unauthorised merchandise that included his brand or image on it.
The woman, Nicol Harness, had started selling homemade Luke Combs-branded tumblers on her Amazon shop. She is a loyal fan of Combs and began selling the tumbler merchandise after she went to one of his concerts. Yet once Harness sold 18 of them for $20 each, generating $360, she became caught right in the midst of the legal battle.
In an interview with Tampa TV Station WFLA on December 12, Harness told the hosts how Combs’ lawyers had filed a lawsuit against her in October. As the lawsuit was delivered via email, which is allowed by the Northern District of Illinois federal court, the notice landed directly in her junk mail folder and was left unopened.
Since Harness wasn’t aware of the lawsuit and failed to respond within 30 days, the judge took note and imposed a $402,648 judgment in default. It was only after Amazon was handed the judge’s order and froze the $5500 in her account for potential seizure that she realised she was facing a lawsuit and was unable to pay her bills.
Country singer Luke Combs has been praised for his quick response to his fan's legal troubles. Photo / Getty Images
“It’s very stressful,” said a distressed Harness during the interview. “I didn’t mean any harm to Luke Combs. I quit selling the tumbler. I pulled it down. I just don’t understand ... This is not something I meant to go wrong like this. I just want to get back to my day-to-day life.”
In a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday, Combs shared that he had come across a story regarding Harness’ entanglement in the lawsuit after waking up early that morning to use the bathroom. He’d asked his lawyers to remove Harness from the lawsuit and acknowledged it was his intention to go after large companies, not fans who have made small businesses like Harness had with her side hustle.
Combs said in the video that he would be sending Harness US$11,000 to make up for her troubles. He also explained how he would begin to market his own tumbler merchandise, with the proceeds being sent to Harness to pay for her medical bills. She suffers from heart disease and was recently hospitalised due to the condition.
Furthermore, the singer - whose cover of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car became a chart-topping hit earlier this year - has offered to fly Harness and her family to attend one of his concerts so he could meet her.
“I was so apologetic in talking with her. It just makes me sick, honestly, that this would happen, especially at the holidays. I can’t imagine being in her shoes,” said Combs, who’s earned three Grammy nominations and won the Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year award two years in a row.
According to US copyright law, those caught selling copyrighted goods without authorisation or approval are liable for strict penalties and the potential seizing of assets. Criminal charges also pose a risk if you fail to comply.
Out of the 45 other names shown in the court filings, most other sellers involved in the lawsuit appear to be businesses operating from Asia. These companies have a wider reach and generate significant amounts of revenue from the production of unauthorised goods.
In regard to whether Combs had intended to involve fans like Harness in his legal crackdown, he said: “This is not something that I would ever do. This is 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.”
