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A judge has ruled Lady Gaga will not have to pay a $500,000 reward to a woman connected to the violent theft of the singer's two French bulldogs.
Jennifer McBride's lawsuit demanded Gaga pay her a cash reward because she returned the stolen dogs. However, on Monday, October 2, the judge ruled McBride was not entitled to cash in on the offer because she was involved in the crime, Knewz.com has learned.
McBride filed the case against Lady Gaga — whose legal name is Stefani Germanotta — this year, claiming the singer owed her the $500,000 reward being broadcast in exchange for the safe return of the two French bulldogs, "Koji" and "Gustav."
On the night of February 24, 2021, in Hollywood, Lady Gaga's dog walker Ryan Fischer was taking three of Gaga's pooches out for a stroll when he was approached by three people on the street. During a struggle, Fischer was shot in the chest. The three suspects took off with the two French bulldogs.
Fischer was critically injured but survived the attack.
Soon after the attack, the pop star announced a $500,000 reward for the dogs' safe return. Multiple news outlets published the addition of "no questions asked," as Gaga's lawyers brought up in response to McBride's lawsuit.
Two days later, a woman brought the dogs to a police station in L.A., claiming she simply found them tied to a pole, according to the Los Angeles Times. The woman, identified as Jennifer McBride, reportedly inquired about the reward.
As police investigated, however, they learned McBride was dating a man named Harold White, the father of one of the assailants. McBride and White were arrested in April of 2021 along with three others in connection to the dognapping.
McBride was charged with receiving stolen property, and in 2022 she pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two years of probation.
"Detectives do not believe the suspects were targeting the victim because of the dogs' owner," the LAPD said in a press release. "Evidence suggests the suspects knew the great value of the breed of dogs and was the motivation for the robbery."
People
McBride sued Lady Gaga in civil court in February this year, demanding the $500,000 reward, plus $1.5 million in damages, the Times reports.
Monday, October 4, the judge reportedly took less than 10 minutes to rule. Because of her involvement in the dognapping, McBride is “not entitled to thereafter benefit from their wrongdoing by seeking to enforce the contract,” the judge said.
Harold White’s son, Jaylin White, and Lafayette Whaley have previously pleaded no contest to robbery charges. Jaylin White was sentenced to four years in prison; Lafayette Whaley was sentenced to six years in prison.
James Jackson, the shooter, pleaded no contest to attempted murder in 2022 and was sentenced to 21 years in prison in a plea deal. Harold White was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading no contest to a weapons charge.
Police said they believed the motive behind the robbery was the value of the French bulldogs, which can cost thousands of dollars.