Luke Combs has apologized to a fan — a Florida woman who was ordered to pay him $250,000 in a copyright case — for selling tumblers featuring his name and likeness on Amazon.
The country-music star also vowed to make it right by compensating the single mom involved in the ordeal.
The fan — Nicol Harness — said she recently returned home after a hospital stay for congenital heart failure and discovered that she was being sued in federal court by the “When It Rains It Pours” hitmaker. Harness’ homemade-gift shop on Amazon had been frozen and the judge had already ruled against her, ordering her to pay the musician $250,000 for violating copyright laws by selling unauthorized Combs merchandise.
The online craft seller told Tampa TV station WFLA on Tuesday that she sold a total of 18 cups featuring the Grammy-nominated singer and made $380 from her sales.
“It’s very stressful,” a visibly shaken Harness said. “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 I don’t understand.”
By Wednesday, the “Hurricane” singer caught wind of Harness’ plight and issued an emotional apology on TikTok and Instagram, explaining that he told his legal team to remove her from the lawsuit and that he planned to send her $11,000.
“It’s 7:27 a.m. here in Tennessee. I woke up at 5 a.m. to use the restroom and first thing I saw was this — a woman that’s been sued by me for $250,000,” Combs said in the video. “I spent the last two hours trying to make this right. Trying to figure out what’s going on, because I was completely and utterly unaware of this.”
The 33-year-old musician revealed that his manager contacted the news station that ran the story to get more information, sharing what they learned with Combs’ 5.1 million TikTok followers and 5.9 million Instagram followers.
“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, running illegal businesses,” Combs continued. “And apparently this woman Nicol has somehow gotten wrapped into that. And that makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.”
Combs said he tracked down Harness’ phone number and called her that morning.
“She told me that she was absolutely shocked by this. I was 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 that Harness told him that she had $5,500 frozen in her Amazon account and he decided he would “double that,” as well as do right by the crafting fan another way.
“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. And she got in trouble apparently for making tumblers. So I’m gonna make my own tumbler today … all that money is gonna go to Nicol and her family to try to help with her medical bills.”
Combs said he wanted his fans to know, “this 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 guys that.”
The singer also extended an invitation to Harness and her family to attend one of his upcoming concerts so he could give her a hug and apologize in person.
The woman spoke with the TV station again on Wednesday, expressing both relief and surprise when Combs called.
“He was a very nice guy, very understanding,” she said. “I explained to him what happened, he understood. I still can’t believe he called me and he is doing these things for me.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
