T.I. Asked To Repay $6 Million In Legal Fees Over OMG Girlz Suit

The OMG Girlz may have to get their managers, T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Harris, to pay up on the legal fees from their 2019 lawsuit against MGA Entertainment, whose line of dolls seemed a bit too close to the likeness of the real-life girl group. The “Haterz” singers banded together in 2009 under the direction of Tiny, whose daughter Zonnique was a standout in the trio.

The ten-day trial back in January found the toy company not guilty of copyright infringement for their L.O.L. Surprise O.M.G. dolls, despite claims from the Harrises that the dolls stole the pop group’s aesthetic, per Blavity’s report. The case ended in a mistrial, due to unauthorized evidence being displayed to jurors.

Of the many issues within the trial, MGA is asking for T.I. and Tiny to repay their fees for a case that was riddled with “litigation tactics, over-reaching claims, and misconduct,” said the business’ lawyers in a statement revealed by Billboard.

The misconduct at play was a customer’s testimony that the dolls were racist in imagery and culturally appropriated from Black teenage girls. The company successfully fought against the evidence being revealed to jurors, as the claims of racism would not grant them a fair trial.

Normally, U.S. law states that both parties must pay for their own legal representation, regardless of the outcome, but the “exceptional” circumstances surrounding the case prompted MGA to ask for a reimbursement from the “Whatever You Like” rapper.

The company continued bashing the plaintiff for the failed accusation,

“Both in the manner the OMG Girlz litigated this case, and the weakness of the substantive claims and theories the OMG Girlz presented (as confirmed by the jury), the Court should conclude that this case stands out from others.”

While no declaration by the courts has been made yet on T.I. writing a hefty check to MGA Entertainment, the rapper, his wife, and the singers have remained silent on the issue since the conclusion of their failed lawsuit.