Judge Denies Woman Convicted in Lady Gaga Dognapping Case $500,000 Reward
Los Angeles, CA – A judge has ruled that a woman convicted in a plot to steal Lady Gaga’s bulldogs at gunpoint is not entitled to a $500,000 reward for returning them, bringing an end to the long-running dognapping debacle.
Judge Holly J. Fujie stated in a ruling on Monday that Lady Gaga is not responsible for giving Jennifer McBride the half-million-dollar reward, nor any money for alleged damages and emotional distress. The decision was outlined in a document filed at the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“No one can take advantage of his own wrong,” the judge wrote in the ruling notice. “A plaintiff must come into court with clean hands, and keep them clean, or be denied relief, regardless of the merits of the claim.”
The incident occurred in February 2021 when two of Lady Gaga’s three French bulldogs were stolen from her dog walker Ryan Fischer, who was shot and seriously injured during the ambush. Lady Gaga took to social media to plead for the public’s help in finding her dogs, offering a $500,000 reward for their safe return.
Shortly after Lady Gaga’s plea, McBride brought the stolen dogs to a police station in Los Angeles. McBride was later arrested, along with four other suspects, in April. Prosecutors discovered that McBride had a connection to one of the suspects’ fathers. McBride was accused of knowing about the dognapping and acting as an innocent bystander who happened to find the dogs.
McBride pleaded no contest and was convicted in December of receiving stolen property. She was sentenced to two years of probation. However, she still believed she was entitled to the $500,000 reward and sued Lady Gaga for breach of contract and fraud in February.
In her complaint, McBride claimed that she only had the dogs to safely return them to Lady Gaga and attempt to receive the money, with the understanding that the reward would be paid “no questions asked.”
Lady Gaga has not publicly commented on the outcome of the lawsuit. However, she did express her gratitude for Fischer’s efforts to protect her dogs in the aftermath of the incident. In a post on social media, Lady Gaga wrote, “I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family. You’re forever a hero.”
Contributors to this report include Jonathan Edwards, Meryl Kornfield, and Andrew Jeong.
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