Single Mom Is Sued for Selling Fake Luke Combs Merch and Has to Pay $250K - But He Has a Completely Different Response

According to Esquire, Luke Combs is “the best country singer of his generation." But it turns out that along with his impressive singing chops, he's also a pretty darn nice guy.

After his lawyers, unbeknownst to him, sued a single mom suffering from congestive heart failure for a whopping $250K for selling 18 tumblers in his image worth $380 on Amazon, Combs came in like a "hurricane" and saved the day.

And if she wasn't his biggest fan before...we're pretty sure she is now.

A Judge Orders Single Mom to Pay $250K for $380 Worth of Merchandise

Life isn't easy for Nicol Harness of Pinellas Park, Florida. A single mom with congestive heart failure, she supports her family by selling homemade tumblers and T-shirts on Amazon.

After attending a Combs concert in Tampa this past summer, Harness decided to add some Combs-themed drink tumblers to her shop. She sold 18 at $20 a pop. She had no idea that the $380 she earned was going to cost her $250,000 in a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Combs' legal team decided to go after Harness, along with others, in federal court in Illinois. They won.

Harness told the media that she had no idea she was being sued until she returned from a hospital stay and discovered she wasn't able to access her Amazon funds (all of which were being seized to pay down the settlement).

After doing some digging, she found a notice of the lawsuit buried in the junk folder of an AOL email account she rarely uses.

By the time she saw it, it was too late. The verdict was already signed, sealed, and delivered. Not knowing what else to do, she turned to a local news station that runs a consumer investigative segment called Better Call Behnken for help.

"I don't have money to pay my bills," she told reporter Shannon Behnken, sobbing. "I didn't mean any harm to Luke Combs. I quit selling the tumbler. I pulled it down. I just don't understand."

Neither did Combs.

Luke Combs “Sick to My Stomach” Over Lawsuit

While the legal victory sends a strong message about the importance of intellectual property rights, Combs wasn't here for his lawyers going after Harness.

Like the rest of the world, the singer-songwriter heard about the lawsuit on the news. Stunned, he took to social media to address it. In a now-viral Instagram post, he revealed that he woke up to the news and had already spent two hours "trying to make this right."

"I was completely and utterly unaware of this," Combs said in the video posted to his page.

Combs also noted that: “We do have a company that goes after folks – only, supposedly, large corporations operating internationally that make millions and millions of dollars – making counterfeit T-shirts, things of that nature, running illegal businesses, and apparently this woman, Nicol, has somehow gotten wrapped into that, and that makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.”

So sick, that he decided to take matters into his own hands. He revealed that he had already called Harness to apologize and was sending her $11,000 — double the amount of money locked in her Amazon account, "so she doesn't have anything to worry about."

And then in a move worthy of the good-guy god himself, Keanu Reeves (bless him), Combs said he was going to sell his own tumblers on his website and donate ALL OF THE PROCEEDS to Harness and her family to pay her medical bills.

Commenters Respond to Luke Combs Act of Kindness

Of course, it wouldn't be the internet if everyone actually agreed with Comb's response. Some naysayers said that Harness broke the law and shouldn't be "rewarded for stealing."

But thankfully, there were also comments like these ones...

"To the ppl in the comments saying she doesn’t deserve his help or it’s her fault she stole / copyright..y’all need to find Jesus.. bless Luke Combes and his family.. talk about Christmas blessings ❤️"

"Master class in PR responses, and it hits so well because it’s not a PR response, it’s his human response. Good for Luke for taking control back. His brand is himself and he stayed true to it. 👏🏻"

"This response right here is EXACTLY what we need more of in this world. Getting to know someone’s intent is just categorically missing from human interaction these days. Bravo, Luke!"

Bravo indeed!!

There's no denying that Combs was well within his legal rights to sue Harness. But he chose compassion instead.

And while he may not be $250,000 richer, the kindness and empathy he displayed is priceless. And undoubtedly, just scored him more than one major fan for life.

More from Goalcast:

• Amazon Driver Delivers a Package to 90-Year-Old – Neighbor Witnesses His Next Move and Immediately Records It

• Woman Hears Amazon Delivery Driver at the Door – Then, the Doorbell Camera Catches the “Warning” She Gave

• Daughter Posts TikTok to Help Dad’s Slow-Selling Book – Now It’s An Amazon Bestseller