As reported by Deadline, Grammy-winning music artist and entrepreneur T.I. and his wife, singer-songwriter Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris, have emerged victorious in their legal battle against MGA Entertainment, the toy conglomerate behind the popular L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. line of dolls. The jury awarded the couple a staggering $71 million in damages, with $17.8 million in actual damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages, following a three-week trial in a federal court in Santa Ana, Calif.
This legal victory comes after two previous attempts to sue MGA Entertainment. The initial trial concluded in a mistrial due to barred testimony, while the second trial resulted in a victory for MGA Entertainment.
However, a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling allowed for the case to be retried, emphasizing the significance of consumer confusion in infringement cases.
The unanimous ruling found that seven out of 32 dolls from the L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. line infringed upon the likeness and trade dress of the OMG Girlz, a teen pop group formed by T.I. and Tiny in 2009. Notably, some dolls were found to have copied the likeness of artists such as Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.
During the trial, T.I.’s lawyer, John Keville, urged the jury to penalize MGA Entertainment with an additional $35 to $72 million as a message against the company’s actions. He expressed gratitude to the eight jurors for "standing up to MGA’s bullying and misrepresentations" and presented social media posts from consumers who believed that the dolls were inspired by the all-female band.
The OMG Girlz, composed of Tameka "Tiny" Harris's daughter Zonnique “Star” Pullins, Bahja “Beauty” Rodriguez, and Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack, reunited last year and are currently touring with a new single released recently. The trio attended the trial and testified, with T.I. and Tiny alleging that the dolls replicated the band’s appearance at specific public events.
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