A California appeals court has ruled that a woman who was defrauded of over $300,000 by someone posing as country singer Kenny Chesney cannot hold the real star legally responsible for the scam. Patricia Linson had argued Chesney should have warned fans about impersonators, but the court found no legal duty requires celebrities to protect fans from third-party fraud, even as such scams become more common.

Linson paid $310,000 to a fake Chesney who contacted her on LinkedIn in 2021, claiming financial difficulties and citing costs such as an awards show appearance, instrument repairs and music videos; she says she was convinced because he shared unreleased details about upcoming concerts and releases. She sued Chesney for negligence in 2022 alongside the actual scammers, but a Los Angeles trial judge dismissed the claims against him, a decision upheld by California's Second Appellate District on 11 August. Linson must now also cover Chesney's legal costs from the appeal, and her attorney says she disagrees with the ruling.