Ray J is all of us when our beloved pet goes missing. The singer/actor lost his white Maltese in Woodland Hills, California, and later posted on social media, promising a $20,000 reward for its return in 2019.
A man named Eddie Macione allegedly found the pup, but filed a lawsuit when Ray J and Princess Love didn’t hold up their end of the deal after the pup was returned.
Ray J has a net worth of $14 million, according to celebrity networth.com, and pups like Bootagi usually run up to $3,000. Macione claimed he found the pup while taking a walk and that since it didn’t have any identification or tags on, he kept it for a few weeks. Princess Love has a personal net worth of $2 million.
Macione also claimed he took care of the dog and after he called the number listed on the missing flier and arranged for the dog’s return to its celebrity owners, those owners, Ray J and Princess Love backed away from a reward offer. He said not only did they try to intimidate him to keep him from taking legal action, but argued that technically they didn’t owe Macione anything because they never signed a contract with him.
The celebrity couple is in their own mess of legal trouble as they are in the middle of their third attempt at finalizing a divorce. Recently, Princess Love filed new documents to move forward with their separation.
When Bootagi first went missing, the couple suspected it was theft, which could be part of why they didn’t initially reward Macione. At the time the pup was missing, Princess ranted online, saying, “We have you and your car on security camera taking our dog. You have three days to come forward and collect the $20,000 REWARD… after that, we will take action. WITH POLICE AND BLOODHOUNDS.”
Although Ray J and Princess requested the lawsuit be thrown out due to Macione’s alleged fraud and misrepresentation, in newly filed court documents, the singer’s lawyer told the court that a “settlement has been reached” a few days before the trial was scheduled to start.
As for the price of Ray J’s alleged reward offer, he is hardly the first celebrity to promise large amounts for their pets. Daniel Sturridge allegedly set his reward for his missing pomeranian at $30,000, and Lady Gaga promised a $500,000 reward for her missing French Bulldogs.
