There's been some good news for Lady Gaga and her beloved dogs, who were entrenched in a lawsuit surrounding unpaid reward money. A lawsuit was filed early this year against the “Telephone” singer in regards to her pets, who were stolen from her back in 2021. The defendant alleged that Gaga did not pay her a promised 500k reward for helping find her pooches. However, one key detail was essential as to why Gaga didn't pay up, and the courts found the pop star justified in her reasoning.
In 2021, Lady Gaga’s two french bulldogs were stolen in Hollywood at gunpoint from the singer’s dog walker. The dog walker was shot and hospitalized, and her dogs were taken and sold, with multiple people arrested in connection to the crime. As a result Gaga promised a half a million dollar reward for her dogs’ safe return. The pets were returned two days later by Jennifer McBride, who was later convicted for being involved in the theft. McBride got two years of probation as a result of purchasing property she knew was stolen. She later sued the American Horror Story alum for not paying up for returning the dogs.
According to TMZ, McBride initially wanted the court to triple the damages when her reward was not received, requesting damages amounting to 1.5 million dollars. Gaga found this claim ridiculous, and if she paid up, she would essentially be giving McBride a reward for knowingly purchasing the dogs that were stolen from her. The court agreed, and threw out the lawsuit. Therefore, the Oscar winner does not have to pay McBride the reward money.
While McBride said that the promise made by Gaga was a “no questions asked” arrangement, as Gaga did not specify an explanation needed when the dogs were returned, the court still found the lawsuit to be unfounded. The “misleading rewards promise” claim was irrelevant, due to the illegal nature in which McBride obtained the dogs, and her knowledge of the theft. The defendant has 20 days to amend her original complaint, however finding another way to reframe her argument is unlikely, as she has already been convicted in relation to the crime.
Thankfully the dogs are safe and returned home to Lady Gaga, where they belong, and now the multi-hyphenate can continue doing what she does best, entertaining the masses. She is set to star alongside Joaquin Phoenix in the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, where she will play Harley Quinn. She is also working on a film surrounding her 2022 Chromatica Ball Tour. She always has something new for her fans to experience, and these upcoming projects show there is no stopping the pop star.
You can check out Lady Gaga’s most recent film, House of Gucci, which is streaming now with on MGM+. The singer also contributed Oscar-nominated music to Top Gun: Maverick, which is available for Paramount+ subscribers. For more information on other projects hitting streaming later this year, make sure to consult our 2023 movie release schedule.
