A woman charged in connection with the theft of Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs after they were robbed at gunpoint has now sued the star, claiming she was denied a $500,000 reward “no questions asked,” according to a court statement.
Jennifer McBride was one of five co-defendants charged in connection with the theft of Koji and Gustav’s valuable pets after they turned them in to police.
Lady GagaRyan Fischer’s dog walker was shot and injured while dognapping in Los Angeles, which occurred in February 2021 while the star was out of the country.
Lady Gaga’s dogs Koji and Gustav. Photo: @ladygaga/Instagram
James Howard Jackson, one of three men and two accomplices who allegedly participated in the robbery, pleaded no contest to one count of attempted murder in December 2022, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said, and was sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment.
McBride said he did not contest receiving stolen property in connection with the theft, including in December. Now, according to a court filing, she is charging Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, with breach of contract, false promise fraud and misrepresentation fraud for failing to pay her $500,000 (£413,800) reward.
In addition to the cash award, McBride is seeking no less than $1.5m (£1.25m) in damages, plus unspecified general damages, after filing an eight-page claim in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
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February 2021: Lady Gaga’s dog walker is shot during a pet theft
To know more:
Man who shot Lady Gaga’s dog walker sentenced to 21 years in prison
Lady Gaga offers $500,000 reward after dog walker shot and pets stolen
McBride says he was eligible for the reward after handing the dogs over to a Los Angeles police station two days after they were taken. The lawsuit alleges that Lady Gaga never intended to pay the reward “no questions asked”—instead, she was questioned by police about the bulldogs’ return.
As a result, according to the lawsuit, McBride endured pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Without reward ‘the dogs would probably have ended up in a kennel’
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee said, “If Lady Gaga suffers a financial loss by paying that reward, she will qualify as a victim of a crime under California law, and people will be required by law to ask compensation in court for this loss by each individual defendant in the case.”
Ms Hanisee said if the star hadn’t come forward by publicly acknowledging the dogs were hers and offering a reward, “the dogs would probably have ended up in a kennel.”
He noted that “McBride is still on formal probation” and “still under the jurisdiction of the court.”
Sky News has reached out to Lady Gaga’s reps for comment.
