Country music star Luke Combs found himself at the center of a legal dispute after a fan, Nicol Harness, faced a $250,000 lawsuit for selling unauthorized homemade Luke Combs merchandise on Amazon. Combs took to social media on Wednesday morning to address the issue, expressing shock and asserting his commitment to resolving the matter.
The legal action came to light when Combs saw a news report from WFLA, revealing that Harness had been hit with a hefty lawsuit for allegedly selling 18 tumblers for $20 each, totaling $380. Harness, who suffers from congestive heart failure and is unable to work a typical 9 to 5 job, expressed her distress, stating, “It’s very stressful. I don’t have money to pay my bills. I just want this resolved. I didn’t mean any harm to Luke Combs. I quit selling the tumbler. I pulled it down. I just don’t understand.”
Harness explained that a recent hospital stay left her unable to access the funds generated on Amazon. She discovered an email in her spam folder from Combs’ legal team, giving her 21 days to respond. Unfortunately, due to her hospitalization and the email being in her junk folder, Harness was unable to respond in time.
According to local news, Harness was one of several sellers sued by Combs for selling counterfeit merchandise. An Illinois judge reportedly ordered each defendant to pay $250,000.
In a message conveyed through WFLA, Harness apologized to Combs, saying, “I would tell him I’m sorry, like I said I didn’t mean any harm. I’m a supporter of Luke Combs. I respect him. This is not something I meant to go wrong like this. I just want to get back to my day-to-day life.”
Combs, in a video message, expressed his complete unawareness of the lawsuit, noting that his company typically targets large corporations involved in counterfeiting. He stated, “And apparently, this woman, Nicol, has somehow gotten wrapped into that, and that makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.”
The two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year revealed that he spoke with Harness over the phone and pledged to rectify the situation. Combs announced that he would send her $11,000, double the amount locked up in her Amazon account, and launch an official tumbler in his store, promising to share “all that money” with Nicol and her family.
“This is not something that I would ever do. This is not the kind of person I am,” Combs asserted. He also invited Nicol and her family to attend one of his shows so he could personally apologize and offer his support.
