LOS ANGELES — A woman who was convicted after turning in two of Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs stolen in a violent robbery is suing the pop star, arguing she was never paid a $500,000 reward promised for the dogs’ return.
Two months after pleading no contest to receiving stolen property, Jennifer McBride, 52, filed suit Friday in Los Angeles court, alleging Lady Gaga went back on an offer to pay the reward “no questions asked.”
McBride’s connection to the robbery was unclear when she walked into a Los Angeles police station with the dogs, asking about the money Lady Gaga had offered on social media.
She told officers she had found the dogs tied to a pole in the days after the February 2021 robbery, police said. As the investigation continued, authorities found McBride was in a relationship with the father of one of two men accused of stealing Lady Gaga’s pets in a brazen attack in Hollywood.
The men jumped out of a white sedan in the 1500 block of North Sierra Bonita Avenue and demanded Lady Gaga’s dog walker hand over the animals. The dog walker, Ryan Fischer, struggled with the robbers and was shot once in the chest by one of the assailants. He survived.
The man who shot Fischer, James Howard Jackson, was sentenced in December to 21 years in prison after pleading no contest to a charge of attempted murder. An accomplice pleaded no contest to a firearms charge.
McBride’s lawsuit alleges Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, “never intended to honor their unilateral offer to pay the reward money of $500,000.”
The lawsuit also argues that McBride was questioned about her role despite “representations” that the reward would be paid for the return of the dogs “no questions asked.”
“The truth was that (Lady Gaga) intended to have its agents and/or law enforcement to ask questions of (McBride) regarding the circumstances surrounding (McBride’s) return of (Lady Gaga’s) French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav,” the suit states.
The lawsuit does not mention the arrest and conviction of McBride, who was sentenced to two years of probation.
According to the suit, McBride has suffered pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life as a result of not being paid the reward money.
McBride, who is still on probation, is asking not just for the $500,000 reward, but also $1.5 million in damages.
A representative for Lady Gaga did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
