Lady GaGa is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit over the sale of wristbands she created to raise funds for relief efforts in Japan.
The pop superstar designed the fashion accessory in the aftermath of the country's devastating earthquake/tsunami disaster in March (11) and sold them to fans with the proceeds going to clean-up programs.
Attorneys from a law firm in Michigan filed a class action lawsuit against the Poker Face hitmaker in U.S. Federal Court on Friday (24Jun11), alleging she overcharged fans for shipping costs on the wristbands and pocketed a portion of the extra postal costs.
The $5 million (£3.1 million) suit names Gaga - real name Stefani Germanotta - as a defendant, as well as a number of her affiliated companies, and seeks compensation and statutory damages, including a refund for all of the plaintiffs who bought wristbands.
Alyson Oliver, partner of the 1-800-Law-Firm, says, "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 relief efforts' are in fact true. Our intention with this lawsuit is to uncover any improprieties committed by Lady Gaga and appropriate the full donations assumed to the victims in Japan.”
Last week (ends 26Jun11), Gaga was commended for her charity efforts by officials in Japan, while she performed at the MTV Music Video Aid Japan Show on Saturday (25Jun11).