September 24, 2024
T.I. And Tiny Harris Win $71 Million In OMG Girlz Lawsuit Against MGA Entertainment
The jury decided seven of the L.O.L. Surprise! dolls did infringe on the OMG Girlz's likeness.
T.I. and Tiny Harris have finally proven their case. Their lawsuit against MGA Entertainment, a toy company they claimed stole the likeness of their girl group, OMG Girlz, has resulted in their favor.
The couple started the girl group with their daughter, Zonnique Pullins, as a lead member. Now, the couple has won $17.9 million in actual damages and $53.6 in punitive damages, as decided by a jury verdict on Sept. 23.
They first tried to sue MGA in January 2023 because they claimed that the OMG line of the L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls took from their intellectual property. This included outfits inspired by OMG Girlz’s real-life looks during performances.
However, that instance ended in a mistrial, leading to a second round six months later. Upon losing their second trial, they were offered a retrial last September. The newest trial lasted three weeks, including testimonies from T.I. and MGA’s founder, Isaac Larian.
“You can hold them up to these pictures and see. Anyone with eyes can see that this picture influenced this doll,” T.I. testified on Sept. 6, as reported by US Weekly.
During his own testimony, Larian referred to the hip-hop couple and their music act as “extortionists,” denying their influence on the dolls’ designs.
However, the jury decided that seven of the dolls did infringe on the OMG Girlz’ likeness. Upon hearing the news of the favorable ruling, Tiny expressed her gratitude to the jurors for delivering “the best answer possible.”
“[Just feel] Amazingly blessed. [We thank the jurors] for seeing what we’ve been fighting for for the last three trials,” explained the Xscape singer. “They really took their time with the information and didn’t rush. They came back with the best answer possible and they gave us what they felt we deserve. “
She added, “This is a stepping stone for the culture and creators…They’ll know they have this opportunity and that they can win.”
T.I. also shared his own thoughts, noting the “resilience” of the women in his life who fought for this.
“I think justice was served. I think it’s a testament to the relentlessness and resilience of my wife, daughter and nieces,” T.I. told Rolling Stone. “We’re just happy we were able to come out on top and fight for creatives and our intellectual property that large corporations seem to think is just public domain and free for all to come and grab and use.”