Kenny Chesney Fan Who Paid $300K to an Imposter Cannot Sue The Real Country Star, Court Says

A woman who was scammed out of more than $300,000 by a Kenny Chesney impersonator can’t sue the country superstar, an appeals court says.

Patricia Linson, who paid $310,000 to a phony Chesney after he told her he was “experiencing financial difficulties,” claimed that the real star was legally liable for failing to stop imposters from defrauding his fans.

But in a ruling last week obtained by Billboard, a California appeals court ruled that legal precedent does not “require celebrities to warn and protect their fans against third-party imposter scams.”

“We do not doubt that financial scams are becoming more sophisticated and prevalent as technological developments make it easier for people to impersonate others,” the court wrote in the Aug 11 ruling. “[But] it would stretch the [the law] beyond what is supported by common sense and sound public policy to require celebrities to post warnings about third-party scams on their websites and social media accounts lest they face liability.”

Linson says the fake Kenny contacted her on LinkedIn in 2021 and pleaded with her to send him the cash. The fraudster allegedly said he needed it to appear at an awards show, to repair instruments and to pay for music videos. Her attorneys say she was convinced when the imposter shared details about future concerts and releases that were not yet public.

After the scam came to light, Linson filed a lawsuit in 2022, aimed at holding the actual scammer and a named accomplice responsible, but also accusing Chesney of failing to stop the fraud. She sued the star for negligence, arguing he likely knew that bad actors were duping fans and should have taken proactive steps to warn them.

But a Los Angeles trial judge dismissed the accusations against Chesney. And last week, California’s Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District upheld that ruling.

Linson had argued that such scams have become an “epidemic,” and cited examples of other famous musicians warning their fans to be wary of being duped. But in last week’s decision, the appeals court said that celebrities were not required to do so.

“Linson alleges no facts, and cites no authority, to support a finding that celebrities share special relationships with their fans to support imposing a duty on celebrities that would require them to protect their fans from third-party misconduct,” the appeals court said.

After losing her case, the court said Linson must pay Chesney’s legal expenses incurred in defending the appeal. Her attorney, Ronda Baldwin-Kennedy, tells Billboard on Thursday (Aug. 20) that she and her client disagree with the court’s decision.

“I believe the appellate court has gotten it wrong,” Baldwin-Kennedy says. “Especially in California, the entertainment capital, there are so many scams with people pretending to be celebrities and utilizing information to have people send millions and millions of dollars.”

An attorney for Chesney did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday.