Charity Bracelet Sales Land Lady Gaga in Court

Jul 1, 2011 by Mollie Cullinane

Pop superstar Lady Gaga has been sued over sales of her wristbands for Japan’s earthquake relief efforts in a class action that claims that not all the proceeds went to victims as she had promised.

Soon after the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, Lady Gaga urged fans to buy Japan prayer bracelets. Each $5 rubber wrist band was stamped with “We Pray for Japan” and all proceeds, according to Gaga’s site, were going to charity. Within days, she had raised $250,000. By the end of March, she had donated $1.5 million to relief efforts.

The Lady Gaga class action lawsuit alleges Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) and others used deceptive advertising by claiming the singer would donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the $5 “We Pray for Japan” bracelets to charity. According to the class action lawsuit, however, Lady Gaga and the other defendants, skimmed “a portion of the first five dollar of each donation” and “only sent a portion of the subject funds, if any, to the Japan Relief Effort.”

A Gaga rep issued a statement, saying, “This misguided lawsuit is without merit and unfortunately takes attention away from the kind deeds of the fans around the world who are supporting the people of Japan.

“The entire $5 donation made with the purchase of each bracelet is going to support the disaster relief. No profit is being made on shipping costs. Sales tax charges were made in accordance with local legal requirements. Lady Gaga has personally pledged her own funds to this cause and continues to support the victims of the disaster.”

Read the full Washington Post story: Lady Gaga responds to charity wristband lawsuit.

Read the RollingStone story: The dark side of celebrity charities.