T.I. and Tiny’s legal victory against MGA Entertainment just hit another wall.
Their $71 million win in the lawsuit over the OMG Girlz has been tossed out, with a judge ruling the evidence didn’t prove the company intentionally copied the group.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge James V. Selna overturned the jury’s decision, saying the Harrises didn’t meet the legal requirement for punitive damages. He acknowledged that the jury had enough to believe MGA used the girl group’s image, but said there wasn’t enough proof it was done deliberately.
The judge pointed to what he called “one passing reference” to OMG Girlz in the company’s internal emails and a single photo of a group member on a designer’s Pinterest board filled with over a thousand unrelated fashion images.
In his ruling, Selna wrote, “This is not clear and convincing evidence of willful infringement or conscious disregard for the rights of others.”
He also added that the company’s actions weren’t harmful enough to be considered “reprehensible,” and that the OMG Girlz suffered minimal emotional distress. Since the Harrises are not financially struggling, he said, the situation didn’t justify a major payout.
The couple was offered the option to accept one dollar in symbolic damages instead of going through another trial. They declined and plan to continue the legal fight.
The original lawsuit, filed in 2023, accused MGA of modeling its L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls after the OMG Girlz without permission. A jury agreed at the time and awarded the couple $71 million.
That decision has now been wiped out, and the case will head back to court for a new trial.
