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Lady Gaga is being sued in America over sales of wristbands designed to raise money for the Japanese earthquake relief effort.

A US law firm in the state of Michigan claims not all proceeds from sales of the bands have gone to victims as promised.

The singer has been selling the white and red "We Pray For Japan" wristbands on her website.

She charges $5 (£3.13) with additional postage and packing.

1-800-LAW-FIRM also alleges customers have been overcharged on postage costs.

Lady Gaga, and several other companies, are being sued for just over $3m (£1.8m).

A spokesman for Lady Gaga said: "This misguided lawsuit is without merit and unfortunately takes attention away from the kind deeds of the fans around the world who are supporting the people of Japan.

"The entire five dollar donation made with the purchase of each bracelet is going to support the disaster relief. No profit is being made on shipping costs.

"Sales tax charges were made in accordance with local legal requirements.

"Lady Gaga has personally pledged her own funds to this cause and continues to support the victims of the disaster."

'Uncover improprieties'

Alyson Oliver, a lawyer with the firm suing Lady Gaga, says: "While we commend Lady Gaga for her philanthropic efforts, we want to ensure that claims that 'all proceeds will be donated to Japan's earthquake' are in fact true.

"Our intention via this lawsuit is to uncover any improprieties committed by Lady Gaga and appropriate the full donations assumed to the victims in Japan."

In the US, civil legal action is far more common than in the UK and millions of lawsuits of this type can be filed every year.

Many cases take years to come to a close and can often be unsuccessful.

The legal action was submitted last week while the 25-year-old was in Japan performing at a benefit concert for victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

The documents filed to court allege consumer protection laws were broken.

It also calls the advertising of the bracelets and the profits from their sale as "deceptive".

The official website for the singer's store has several comments from frustrated fans complaining about long delivery times and shipping and handling costs for the wristbands.

Lady Gaga's website says: "Little Monsters, show your support for Japan with this 'We Pray For Japan' wristband!

"Choose your price to add an additional donation with your wristband. All proceeds go directly to Japan relief efforts. All sales are final."