By Zachary Swickey
No good deed goes unpunished, as pop superstar Lady Gaga found out when she tried to raise money for victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The accusations came in the form of a nasty lawsuit claiming that the charity she had set up for the victims was not donating 100 percent of the proceeds, and to settle the claim Gaga will write a big check for charity.
The lawsuit claims that fans and visitors to her website were misled with a charitable promotion selling wristbands – an idea similar to Lance Armstrong's "Live Strong" bracelets. The charity stated that all proceeds would directly go to relief funds. However, the lawsuit claims that the sales tax and $4 charge for shipping created additional funds that were not donated.
Originally, Gaga offered the wristbands for just five bucks with the message "We Pray For Japan" stamped on them while also offering visitors the opportunity to donate more money. Public court records show that around $1.5 million was raised for the victims of the tsunami disaster, but Detroit-based attorney Alyson Oliver claimed the shipping and tax charges weren't going to charity.
To settle the suit, Lady Gaga and several other defendants – who all feel the lawsuit has no credit – will pay an additional $107,500 to charity for the tsunami victims.
In other typical Gaga drama, a religious group with the long-winded name (Christians Against Lady Gaga & Beyonce's SA (South-African) Tours) has got a few thousand followers behind them protesting the singer's upcoming tour of South Africa. Not everyone is protesting the tour, of course, as ticket sales for the shows crashed the servers for the Computicket website.
The organization began a four-day "prayer avalanche" to support their cause and stop the "filthy demon" known as Lady Gaga from performing.
In a tongue-in-cheek pic post on her Twitter account, the superstar somewhat responded with a risqué photo of herself and caption reading, "Hey Melbourne we're here! We can hear you downstairs! Is that church bell ringing for us? The devil of pop is here."
The "Devil of Pop" and proud of it:
Lady Gaga, Twitter