T.I., Tiny Harris secure major legal victory in OMG Girlz lawsuit
T.I. and Tameka "Tiny" Harris attend the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022 at The Cobb Theater on September 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
ATLANTA - Atlanta rapper T.I., his wife Tiny Harris, and the OMG Girlz have secured a major legal victory in their copyright infringement case against MGA Entertainment, the company behind O.M.G. Dolls. In September 2024, the entertainers won their lawsuit, but the amount of punitive damages was later questioned by the presiding judge.
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What we know:
Last month, the case faced a potential setback when U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna issued a tentative order questioning the $53.6 million in punitive damages awarded to the plaintiffs. The judge argued that there wasn’t enough evidence of bad faith from MGA to justify such a large sum. However, that decision has now been reversed.
According to journalist Meghann Cuniff, who shared court documents on X (formerly Twitter), the judge has officially affirmed the jury’s award. T.I., Tiny Harris, and the OMG Girlz will receive $53.6 million in punitive damages and $17.9 million in actual damages, totaling $71.5 million.
"Upon consideration of the evidence, the Court grants disgorgement of profits of $17,872,252 under common law misappropriation, and affirms the jury’s award of punitive damages of $53,616,759," read the filing.
The backstory:
The lawsuit centered on allegations that MGA Entertainment engaged in "cultural appropriation and outright theft" by using the likeness of the OMG Girlz—comprised of Tiny’s daughter Zonnique Pullins, Bahja "Beauty" Rodriguez, and Breaunna "Babydoll" Womack—for their line of collectible dolls.
Lawyers for T.I., Tiny, and the OMG Girlz argued that MGA’s O.M.G. Dolls were modeled after the once-popular girl group, leading to the copyright infringement case.
What they're saying:
Despite the recent confirmation of their legal win, T.I., Tiny Harris, and the OMG Girlz have not issued any public statements regarding the judge’s decision to uphold the damages.
What's next:
With the court affirming the jury’s decision, the next step will involve the actual disbursement of the awarded funds. It remains to be seen if MGA Entertainment will pursue any further legal action or appeals in response to the ruling.