"This is not something that I would ever do. This is not the kind of person I am," said Combs in a response video shared to TikTok
Luke Combs doesn't want to end up in court with any of his fans.
After a local Florida news outlet reported resident Nicol Harness was sued for $250,000 by Combs' legal team for selling unofficial merchandise featuring the country star's likeness on Amazon, Combs posted to TikTok on Wednesday to apologize, claiming the lawsuit shouldn't have been filed.
"It’s 7:27 a.m. here in Tennessee. I woke up at 5 a.m. to use the restroom, and the first thing I saw is this — a woman that’s being sued by me for $250,000," said Combs in the video, telling viewers he "was completely and utterly unaware" of the lawsuit before seeing the report.
On Tuesday, WFLA published an interview with Harness, who explained she sold 18 Combs-themed tumblers for $20 each, making a total of $380, before she was sued in an Illinois federal court among other defendants, all of whom were ordered to pay $250,000.
Harness, who experiences congestive heart failure, told the outlet the lawsuit was sent to her in an email that landed in her junk folder while she was in the hospital, causing her to miss the 21-day response window.
Upon returning from the hospital, Harness learned she was locked from accessing money in her Amazon account due to the matter. "It’s very stressful. I don’t have money to pay my bills," she told WFLA. "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 TikTok video, Combs explained the issue and revealed he spoke to Harness directly to make things right.
"We do have a company that goes after folks — supposedly large corporations operating internationally — that make millions and millions of dollars making counterfeit t-shirts, things of that nature, running illegal businesses, and apparently this woman, Nicol, has somehow gotten wrapped into that," said the "Forever After All" performer. "That makes me absolutely sick to my stomach."
Combs added that his manager spoke to WFLA before he personally spoke to Harness. "She told me that she was absolutely shocked by this. I’m so apologetic," he said. "It makes me sick, honestly, that this would happen, especially at the holidays. I can’t imagine being in her shoes."
Harness informed Combs that $5,500 was being held in her Amazon account due to the lawsuit, and the Grammy-nominated performer decided to help her out financially. "I’m gonna double that, send her $11,000 today just so she doesn’t have anything to worry about," he said. "She was never supposed to be involved in anything like this. No fan should ever have to be involved in anything like this."
In order to further help Harness, Combs announced plans to start selling a similar tumbler on his website and donate the proceeds to "Nicol and her family to try to help with her medical bills." The item is currently for sale on Combs' website for $20. "Hopefully that can help her out," he said.
"Again, this is unbelievable. I was completely shocked," added Combs. "It makes me sick. 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. Money is the last thing on my mind. I promise you that."
He also said Harness and her family have been invited to one of his 2024 concerts, where he plans to "give her a hug and say ‘sorry’ in person."
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