Lady Gaga is being sued for not paying a reward to a woman who returned her stolen dogs — even though that woman was arrested as an accessory to the dognapping.
In a lawsuit obtained by BuzzFeed News and People, Jennifer McBride sued Gaga for failing to pay her a $500,000 reward that was promised to the person who returned her two French bulldogs in 2021. The dogs were stolen after Gaga's dog walker was shot, and the singer offered a reward for their return.
McBride was the one to turn in the dogs. But in April 2021, police arrested five suspects in connection to the dognapping, including McBride, who was accused of being an accessory after the fact. She was reportedly in a relationship with the father of one of the suspects. TMZ previously reported that police were "suspicious" of McBride when she returned the dogs, claiming she found them, "and that's why Gaga was advised by cops not to pay the $500,000 reward."
But McBride's lawsuit claims Gaga offered the "no questions asked" reward with "the intent to defraud and induce members of the public, such as Plaintiff, to rely upon it and to act upon said promise by locating and delivering Lady Gaga's bulldogs to Defendants," per People. She is seeking at least $1.5 million in damages, NBC News reports.
According to the Los Angeles Times, McBride pleaded no contest to a charge of receiving stolen property in December, and she received two years of probation. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee told TMZ that McBride was aware the dogs were stolen when she returned them.