TAMPA, Fla. — Luke Combs said he was “sick to his stomach” after learning that a fan in Florida who sold unauthorized tumblers with his image on them online for $20 was being sued for $250,000. The country music star said he wants to make amends to the woman.
The woman, Nicol Harness, of Pinellas County, was caught in a lawsuit launched by the singer’s attorneys in Illinois federal court against companies that sell unauthorized merchandise with his image or name on it. On Wednesday, the three-time Grammy Award nominee said he told his attorneys to remove the fan, Nichol Harness, from the lawsuit.
The “Fast Car” singer, 33, expressed his dismay in an Instagram video on Wednesday after learning that Harness, who lives in Pinellas County, was ordered by the court to pay $250,000 for selling 18 tumblers on Amazon for $20 apiece, WFLA-TV reported.
“This is not something that I would ever do. This is not the kind of person I am. I’m not greedy in any way, shape or form,” Combs said. “Money is the last thing on my mind -- I promise you guys that.”
Harness, who suffers from a congestive heart condition and has been hospitalized recently, is a fan of Combs and collected $360 from the sales, according to the WFLA. Harness had posted the items for sale after Combs performed in Tampa in July.
“It’s very stressful. I don’t have money to pay my bills,” Harness told WFLA on Tuesday. “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.”
In his video, Combs said he spoke with Harness and told his attorneys to remove her from the lawsuit that was filed in an Illinois federal court, according to Variety. The two-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year added that he was sending Harness $11,000 and would sell tumblers to raise money for her.
“So, we do have a company that goes after folks, only supposedly large corporations operating internationally that make millions and millions of dollars, making counterfeit T shirts, things of that nature run an illegal businesses,” Combs said. “And apparently this woman, Nicol, has somehow gotten wrapped into that.”
Harness said she learned that she received notice of the lawsuit in October, but it was sent via email and went to her junk folder, WFLA reported. Florida law requires defendants to be served in person, but in Illinois, where the lawsuit was filed, email is considered an efficient method to contact defendants, according to the television station.
The judgment was reportedly rendered against multiple counterfeit sellers, Variety reported. Each seller was hit with a $250,000 fine.
Combs said his lawyers were only supposed to target big companies, not fans who sell a few items on the side, according to The Associated Press.
According to court filings, most of the other 45 sellers who were sued appeared to be part of large operations in Asia, the AP reported.
In his video, Combs said that Harness told him that she was “absolutely shocked” by the lawsuit.
“I’m so apologetic. Talking to her … It makes me sick, honestly, that this would happen, especially at the holidays. I can’t imagine being in her shoes,” Combs said. “She told me there’s $5,500 locked up in her Amazon account. I’m gonna double that, send her $11,000 today, just so she doesn’t have anything to worry about. She was never supposed to be involved in anything like this. No fan should ever have to be involved in anything like this.”
“Again, this is unbelievable. I was completely shocked when I saw this this morning. It makes me sick,” Combs said. “And I invited Nicol and her family out to a show (next) year so I could give her a hug and say sorry in person.”
Harness told WFLA on Wednesday that she was surprised when Combs called.
“He was a very nice guy, very understanding,” Harness told the television station. “I explained to him what happened, he understood. I still can’t believe he called me and he is doing these things for me.”
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