Rapper T.I. and his wife, singer-songwriter Tameka “Tiny” Harris, have won a massive $71 million in damages from a jury in their lawsuit against toy conglomerate MGA Entertainment, which they accused of infringing on their intellectual property rights with their popular line of dolls based on their teen pop group OMG Girls, LOL Surprise! OMG.
At the end of a three-week trial in federal court in Santa Ana, California, a jury awarded the couple $17.8 million in actual damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages, according to the Daily Journal, which first reported the news.
As previously reported, this is the Grammy Award-winning duo’s third lawsuit. The first trial, held in January last year, ended in a mistrial after the jury heard prohibited testimony accusing the company of cultural appropriation. A second trial a few months later ended in victory for MGA Entertainment. However, a Supreme Court ruling in June 2023 granted a new trial, ruling that consumer confusion about a product should carry more weight than it previously did in infringement lawsuits.
The unanimous ruling found that all seven of the dolls submitted (out of a total of 32) imitated the Atlanta-based group’s likeness and trade dress. All of the remaining dolls were not found to be copyright infringing, although several of them imitated artists such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga.
During the trial, John Kevil, an attorney for T.I. (née Clifford Harris), said the jury should impose an additional $35 million to $72 million in fines to “send a message” to MGA, according to The Wall Street Journal. After the trial, Kevil thanked the eight jurors for “standing up to MGA’s bullying and misrepresentations.” During the trial, Kevil shared social media posts from consumers who believed the dolls were inspired by the female band.
TI and Tiny formed OMG Girls in 2009, with Tiny’s daughter, Zo’Nique “Star” Pullins, as a core member. The group has been disbanded for many years, but members Pullins, Baja “Beauty” Rodriguez and Breanna “Babydoll” Womack reunited last year and are currently touring with a new single, which was released early last month. The three appeared at the trial to testify, with TI and Tiny claiming that the seven dolls had impersonated the band at certain public events.