Lady Gaga Demands Legal Costs From Surf Brand Following Failed ‘Mayhem’ Case

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Lady Gaga is seeking $232,484 (£172,183) to cover her legal expenses.

The singer paid the amount while successfully fighting a lawsuit that accused her Mayhem album of infringing on the trademark of Mayhem surfboards.

She has described the legal action as a “publicity stunt.”

Lost Surfboards filed the case against the musician last year, arguing that consumers could mistakenly believe the company had approved or supported her album. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last month after finding that such confusion was unlikely.

In a strongly worded motion submitted Friday, lawyers for the new mother argued that she should not be left responsible for the costs of defending herself.

They maintained that it was “never a legitimate lawsuit” and instead represented an inappropriate attempt to “capitalise on the fame and popularity of Lady Gaga” by targeting her use of “a common dictionary word.”

“A litigant should not be permitted to use the federal courts to launch a publicity stunt masquerading as a lawsuit against a high-profile artist,” Gaga’s attorney wrote in the filing, which was obtained and reported by Billboard.

“Nor should it be permitted to wield the machinery of litigation as a device for extracting a settlement that the merits cannot justify. This lawsuit was both.”

When Lost Surfboards sued Gaga last year, its owners claimed she had shown a “blatant disregard” for the company’s trademark protections and argued that her stylised red Mayhem logo closely resembled their design.

Gaga secured an earlier victory in December when a judge refused Lost’s request to prevent her from selling products featuring the Mayhem name.

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Selena Quintanilla’s Estate Profits At Center Of Brother’s Lawsuit

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A.B. Quintanilla III, the brother of Selena, has filed a lawsuit against their sister concerning earnings from the late Tejano singer’s music.

The suit, filed on Thursday and obtained by Billboard, alleges that Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga and her company, Q Productions, breached a contract and their fiduciary obligations.

A.B. had revealed his intention to take legal action in an Instagram post last week, citing "years of accumulated situations, decisions and circumstances".

Documents filed on Thursday detail a disagreement about how the family shared income from Selena’s estate, including earnings connected to her recordings and other intellectual property rights.

According to A.B., an agreement reached by the family in 1995 gives him the right to 25 per cent of Q Productions’ proceeds. His late father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, established the business, which Suzette now oversees.

He alleges that he learned in spring 2025, several months before Abraham died, that the payments he received fell short of his agreed share.

Meanwhile, A.B.’s lawyer, Jeff Lehrman, shared an Instagram video last week highlighting his client’s work as a songwriter and producer on "some of the most iconic music that she ever made".

"Unfortunately, he has not gotten credit for that financially and has not received what he should as a result of his contributions," Lehrman said.

Suzette and her mother, Marcella Quintanilla, rejected the accusations in a joint Instagram statement earlier this month, declaring, "There was no theft by Suzette."

"We love A.B.," they wrote. "He is our son and brother. But loving someone does not require us to accept false accusations or remain silent while the reputations of Suzette, Abraham and our family are called into question. We will continue to protect our family, Abraham's memory, Selena's memory and the truth."

In March 1995, Selena was fatally shot at a motel by her fan club’s president after a disagreement concerning financial records. Released after her death, Dreaming of You entered the US Billboard 200 at number one.

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