Atlanta rapper T.I. and his wife, Tiny Harris, are facing a major setback in their years-long legal battle with toy giant MGA Entertainment over alleged infringement of their OMG Girlz brand.
Last fall, a jury awarded the couple $71.5 million in damages, finding that MGA had copied the OMG Girlz in its popular line of LOL Surprise dolls. According to Music Business Worldwide, on July 8, a California federal judge, James V. Selna, ruled that the punitive damages were improperly awarded due to a lack of proof that the infringement was willful. The punitive amount was reduced from $53.6 million to just $1.
With the total award now slashed by nearly 75 percent, T.I. and Tiny must decide whether to accept the reduced payout or pursue a new jury trial. They have two weeks to respond.