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Popular singer Luke Combs made his way into the headlines after he sued a convalescing fan for printing his image illegally on her tumblers and then selling them to the customers. The fan was ordered to pay him $250,000 as he won the lawsuit. As per the lawsuit, the fan sold about 18 tumblers on Amazon, each for around $20.
In her defence, the fan, Nicol Harness, who is from Pinellas Park, Florida, claimed that she was a big fan of Luke Combs and hence, had decided to print his image on the drink tumblers. She also stated that she suffers from congestive heart failure, due to which she cannot do a job. And hence, her primary source of income was selling tumblers and other merchandise through e-commerce platforms.
As per USA Today, Nicol Harness informed the publication that she discovered the lawsuit after she returned home after her hospital stay. When she tried to access her Amazon funds, she could not do so because of Luke Combs’ lawsuit. She then discovered a mail from Luke’s legal team and found out about the lawsuit.
As the controversy grew intense and several people started bashing Luke for his lawsuit against the convalescing fan, he apologized. He stated that he only got to know about Harness’ condition after reading an article about her. In a statement posted on Instagram on December 14, 2023, he addressed the lawsuit situation.
"That makes me absolutely sick to my stomach”: Details explored as Luke Combs sent double the Amazon money to support the fan
As Luke Combs learned about the fan's condition, he stated that he felt extremely sorry and anguished as he filed a lawsuit against the convalescing fan. He said:
"That makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. "It makes me sick, honestly, that this would happen, especially at the holidays, I can't imagine being in her shoes.”
He went on to claim that he called Nicol Harness to apologise. He then stated that he would donate a huge amount to Harness as she suffered financially due to the lawsuit. He claimed that he would double the $5500 that was stuck in her Amazon account and would be paying her $11,000 so that “she doesn’t have anything to worry about.”
He also announced that he would be putting up an ad for Nicol’s tumbler on his website and donating all of the proceeds to Harness’ family to help them with Nicol’s bills and medical expenses.
Luke Combs also announced that he would be flying to Florida to meet her and personally apologise to her. He also said:
"She was never supposed to be involved in any of this, no fan should ever have to be involved in anything like this. 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.”
The Instagram post made by Luke Combs soon went viral and drew a lot of appreciation from the masses, as social media users were left emotional and overwhelmed by his actions and gestures.
