T.I. is not backing down as he faces legal heat over the name of his upcoming movie, Situationships. The Atlanta rap legend and actor is currently locked in a courtroom battle with Cylia Senii, creator of a digital series by the same name, who claims the title belongs to her brand.
Senii, who launched her web series Situationships years ago, filed a lawsuit accusing T.I. and his Grand Hustle Films team of riding the wave of her creation’s success. The suit alleges that T.I. is leveraging her show’s identity and cultural relevance to promote his own film. “Defendants are engaging in a common scheme and effort to take advantage of the public’s association of Featherstone’s ‘Situationships’ brand by marketing their own film and entitling it ‘Situationships,’” the complaint states.
A federal judge is already siding, at least temporarily with Senii. Earlier this month, the court issued an injunction halting any production or promotion of T.I.’s film using the contested title while the legal proceedings play out. That decision has put the brakes on the movie and sparked debate across socials.
T.I.’s camp is pushing back. His legal team argues that the word Situationships is too broad and widely used to be locked down with a trademark. They insist Senii has not shown exclusive ownership of the term and are calling for the case to be moved from New York to Georgia, where most of the parties reside and where they believe the matter should be resolved.
This courtroom standoff adds to a growing list of legal battles surrounding T.I. and his wife, Tiny Harris. The couple is also preparing for a retrial in their ongoing fight with MGA Entertainment, the company behind the popular “O.M.G.” dolls. While a jury initially awarded them a $71 million verdict, the final outcome is still pending.