T.I. and Tiny Harris Secure $71 Million Verdict Against MGA Entertainment

In a significant legal triumph, rapper T.I. and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris have secured a $71 million jury verdict against MGA Entertainment in their lawsuit concerning the alleged theft of intellectual property. The couple claimed that the toymaker’s “O.M.G.” doll line infringed upon the rights of their former teen pop group, OMG Girlz.

Following a comprehensive three-week trial and a day of jury deliberation, the verdict awarded T.I. and Tiny $17.9 million in actual damages and an additional $53.6 million in punitive damages. This decision comes after years of litigation, including a previous mistrial and an overturned verdict in favor of MGA.

John Keville, the couple’s lead attorney from Sheppard Mullin, commended the “remarkable jury” for their decision. “T.I. and Tiny did what any parent would have done – used their resources to stand up for their kids,” Keville stated, highlighting their fight against what he described as a “billion-dollar corporate bully.”

The legal proceedings dated back to 2021 when T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, and Tiny accused MGA of “cultural appropriation and outright theft” by mimicking the group’s look, which included members Zonnique “Star” Pullins, Bahja “Beauty” Rodriguez, and Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack. The lawsuit provided side-by-side images comparing the OMG Girlz members with the disputed dolls to support their claims.

MGA Entertainment, known for its L.O.L. Surprise! products, maintained throughout the trial that there was no misconduct on their part, and the dolls were unlikely to be confused with the defunct music group.

The case has seen extensive litigation, with the initial trial in January 2023 ending in a mistrial due to inadmissible evidence. A subsequent trial cleared MGA of wrongdoing, but this decision was overturned, leading to the recent decisive outcome.

Following the verdict, Tameka “Tiny” Harris expressed her relief and gratitude via a livestream, remarking on the difficulty of the legal battle but emphasizing their happiness with the outcome. “We wanted to thank the jurors for just seeing us through this, and just believing in what we said,” she affirmed.

The OMG Girlz issued a statement emphasizing the importance of the verdict in protecting artists’ intellectual property. “We hope this case makes companies think twice about taking an artist’s intellectual property without their permission,” they said.

MGA is expected to appeal the judgment and the substantial damages awarded in the federal appeals court, continuing the legal saga.