Tiny Harris is urging a toy giant to “play ball” following a $71.5 million court win in the OMG Girlz lawsuit.
Tiny Harris is celebrating a major courtroom win while fighting to hold on to the hefty payout after a federal judge finalized a $71.5 million judgment in favor of her, T.I. and the OMG Girlz in their legal battle over the alleged misuse of the group’s image by toy giant MGA Entertainment.
The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge James V. Selna, includes $53.6 million in punitive damages and $17.9 million in actual damages, plus 3.972% interest.
The decision reverses the judge’s earlier hesitation about the size of the punitive award, stating, “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.”
Tiny Harris Prepared To Fight For OMG Girlz Intellectual Property
Harris, who co-founded the teen pop group in 2009 alongside husband T.I., took to Instagram Wednesday (May 7) to reflect on the moment and thank those involved in the case.
“It’s another small victory for @omggirlz & I… But it’s still a long way to go,” she wrote. “The way the other side plays ball but we are patient & squirt & ready to fight for our intellectual property.”
Tiny added, “Again we thank the judge for being as fair as he possibly could & juror especially for taking two & a half wks out of their lives to listen to all of the evidence & was able to see the truth. That OMG was just some young teenagers that worked so hard to build their brand. We are so grateful…”
The lawsuit accused MGA of “cultural appropriation and outright theft” for allegedly copying the OMG Girlz’ style and branding for its LOL Surprise! OMG Dolls without permission or payment.
The dolls have since been pulled from shelves, but MGA is appealing the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which means the payout is currently paused.
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