Lady Gaga Sued for Allegedly Pocketing Profits from Japan Relief Bracelets

BY Josiah HughesPublished Jun 27, 2011

Following the tragic natural disasters that took place in Japan earlier this year, many celebrities made it their mission to raise funds for those affected. Among them was Lady Gaga who raised funds by selling "We Pray for Japan" bracelets, which were sold for $5 each. Now, the over-the-top pop star is being accused of pocketing some of the profits from those sales.

Reuters reports that Michigan-based legal network 1800LAWFIRM has filed a lawsuit alleging that Gaga and the other companies involved in the bracelets overcharged buyers on shipping costs and "artificially inflated reports of total donations." The lawsuit goes on to claim that federal racketeering and consumer protection laws were broken in the sale of these bracelets.

Alyson Oliver, a lawyer for the firm, said, "While we commend Lady Gaga for her philanthropic efforts, we want to ensure that claims that 'all proceeds will be donated to Japan's earthquake' are in fact true... Our intention via this lawsuit is to uncover any improprieties committed by Lady Gaga and appropriate the full donations assumed to the victims in Japan."

As of press time, Lady Gaga's representatives did not respond to queries from Reuters. The pop singer is said to have donated approximately $3 million to Japan disaster relief funds.

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