Luke Combs to give proceeds from new tumbler to Florida woman sued for selling Combs merch

UPDATE: Luke Combs' merchandise store is now offering his own tumbler for sale to benefit Nicol Harness.

A woman in Florida is being sued for $250,000 for selling merchandise using the likeness of country music star Luke Combs. Fortunately, someone is coming to her rescue.

Country music star Luke Combs.

In an Instagram video posted Wednesday, the three-time Grammy nominee and two-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year responded to a news report about a lawsuit in which a fan was ordered to pay a quarter of a million dollars for selling items with his likeness on them by offering to help her out with cash, help with medical bills, a personal apology and a concert trip.

Here's what you need to know.

Who is being sued for selling Luke Combs merchandise?

According to a story by News Channel 8 in Florida's Tampa Bay area, Combs fan Nicol Harness of Pinellas Park started selling a "Luke Combs-themed tumbler" after seeing him perform this summer.

What was Nicol Harness selling?

Harness, a single mom who suffers from congestive heart failure, sells tumblers and T-shirts through Amazon as her only job. She told News Channel 8 she had sold 18 tumblers for $20 each, for a total of $380.

How did Harness find out about the Luke Combs lawsuit?

Harness didn't know she was being sued, she said, until after she returned from a hospital stay and found she no longer had access to $5,500 in her Amazon account. After trying fruitlessly to contact someone at the online retailer, she found an email in her junk email folder from Comb's attorney. But by that time she had missed the 21-day window to respond.

Florida law requires notices of lawsuits to be served in person, News Channel 8 said. Illinois, where the lawsuit was filed, allows email notification.

Did Luke Combs sue a Florida woman?

Not personally. Combs responded to the story with an Instagram video where he explained he found out about it after the news broke.

"I spent the last two hours trying to make this right, trying to figure out what's going on because I was completely, and utterly unaware of this," he said in front of a screen capture of news anchors discussing the lawsuit.

Combs said there is a company response for going after "only, supposedly" corporations making counterfeit items for millions of dollars. "And apparently this woman, Nicole, has somehow gotten wrapped into that," he said.

"And that makes me absolutely sick to my stomach."

What is Luke Combs doing about the lawsuit against the Florida woman?

Combs said that after speaking to Harness, he apologized to her and pledged to double the money locked in her Amazon account, which would be $11,000.

He also said he would be releasing his own tumbler for sale Wednesday, with all proceeds going to pay for Harness' medical bills.

"This is not something that I would ever do, this not the kind of person I am," Combs said. "I'm not greedy in any way, shape or form. Money is the last thing on my mind. I promise you guys that."

The 14 oz tumbler, wrapped in images of Combs and his logos, is now available from shop.lukecombs.com for $20. It's expected to start shipping in early February 2024. The description says that net proceeds from the tumbler will be donated to "Nicol Harness and her family."

Combs also said he would be flying Harness and her family out to one of his shows this year for a hug and an apology in person.

Comments on his video were mixed, with most praising his reaction and some pointing out that copyright infringement is still illegal. One commenter, @aaronplessinger said, "If I ever got sued I would want this kind of suing."

Is Luke Combs coming to Florida in 2024?

North Carolina native Combs has two shows booked in Jacksonville at EverBank Stadium for his “Growin’ up and Getting' Old Tour” on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4, one of 25 stadium stops across the U.S., with different special guests joining him each show.

Combs has been climbing the charts this summer after releasing his cross-generational version of “Fast Car,” the Grammy-winning song first released in 1988 by Tracy Chapman. Combs’ release has spent five consecutive weeks in the top spot on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, breaking the records of Brooks & Dunn’s cover of “My Maria” and Alan Jackson’s cover of “Summertime Blues.”

Diana Leyva of USA TODAY Network, contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Luke Combs lawsuit: Country artist helps Florida woman being sued