In a major legal victory, a California federal judge has reinstated the staggering $53.6 million in damages awarded to T.I., Tiny Harris, and the OMG Girlz in their copyright infringement lawsuit against toy company MGA. The entertainers initially secured a massive $71 million in compensatory damages, marking a significant win "for the culture." However, a subsequent ruling threatened to reduce the amount to $17 million.
Now, following a turn of events, the judge vindicated the plaintiffs by upholding the original $53.6 million in punitive damages alongside $17.9 million in compensatory damages, as confirmed by U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna.
Tiny Harris took to Instagram, expressing gratitude to their legal team and emphasizing, "Don’t play with God’s children!" The lawsuit, which dates back to 2020, found MGA's L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls infringing on the trade dress and intellectual property of OMG Girlz, the group formed by Tiny in 2009 featuring her daughter Zonnique Pullins.
This legal saga, culminating in the third trial, saw the jury ruling in favor of the plaintiffs after previous setbacks, including a mistrial and a reversal of a win for MGA. Throughout the arduous legal battle, MGA Entertainment denied the allegations, dismissing the lawsuit as a mere "money grab."