Rapper T.I. and his wife, singer-songwriter Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris, have been awarded $71 million by a jury in their lawsuit against MGA Entertainment.
They claimed that the toy company infringed on the intellectual property rights of their teen pop group, the OMG Girlz, through its popular L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. line of dolls.
According to reports, the jury awarded the couple $17.8 million in actual damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages after a three-week trial in a federal court in Santa Ana, California.
This marks the couple’s third attempt at suing MGA.
The first trial in January last year ended in a mistrial due to jurors hearing inadmissible testimony about cultural appropriation. The second attempt resulted in a victory for MGA, but a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling allowed the case to be retried, emphasizing that consumer confusion should be prioritized in intellectual property infringement cases.
The jury unanimously found that all seven of the dolls presented from a total of 32 copies the group’s likeness and branding. While not all dolls were deemed infringing, some were found to mimic the styles of artists like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.
During the trial, T.I.’s lawyer, John Keville, argued for MGA to be penalized an additional $35 to $72 million to “send them a message.” He thanked the jurors for “standing up to MGA’s bullying and misrepresentations” and presented social media posts from consumers who believed the dolls were inspired by the OMG Girlz.
T.I. and Tiny formed the OMG Girlz in 2009, featuring Tiny’s daughter Zonnique “Star” Pullins as a key member.
Although the group has disbanded at times, its members—Pullins, Bahja “Beauty” Rodriguez, and Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack—reunited last year and are currently touring with a new single released earlier this month.
The trio attended the trial and testified, claiming that the seven dolls mirrored the group’s looks from specific public appearances.
