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T.I. and Tiny’s fourth courtroom battle over the OMG Girlz doll line ended with a jury deciding MGA Entertainment didn’t act with malice, meaning the couple’s legal victory stays capped at $17.9 million.
A federal jury in Santa Ana, California, rejected their push for an additional $53.6 million in punitive damages.
The couple’s legal team, led by John Keville, Chante Westmoreland, and Robert Green, expressed disappointment but vowed to keep fighting for creatives’ rights.
“We proved malice once and believe that had this jury had the benefit of the three weeks of evidence the last jury saw, they too would have found punitives appropriate,” the lawyers said in a statement. “It’s clear from the evidence that MGA’s policies are inadequate to prevent this type of IP infringement, and their document retention and collection procedures are equally as suspect.”
The case has been grinding through the courts since 2020, when T.I. and Tiny first alleged that MGA’s L.O.L. Surprise O.M.G. dolls ripped off the name, neon hair, and distinctive outfits of their teen pop group OMG Girlz.
The journey to this fourth trial was brutal. An initial trial in early 2023 ended in a mistrial after jurors heard barred testimony about “cultural appropriation.”
A second trial later that year cleared MGA entirely, but that verdict was overturned after a Supreme Court ruling changed how trademark cases are handled.
The third trial, which ran for three weeks in September 2024, finally gave T.I. and Tiny what they wanted: a jury found MGA willfully infringed on the group’s trade dress and awarded them $71.5 million total, including $17.9 million in actual damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages.
But then Judge James V. Selna slashed the punitive damages down to $1 in July 2025, ruling the couple hadn’t shown “clear and convincing evidence” of willful infringement.
OMG Girlz was formed in 2009 and features Tiny’s daughter Zonnique “Star” Pullins alongside Bahja “Beauty” Rodriguez and Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack.
The group disbanded in 2015 but reunited in 2023, touring with Xscape and SWV on the Queens of R&B Tour while this legal battle played out.
They’ve also released new music, including the singles “Lover Boy” and “Make a Scene,” proving the group’s still got momentum despite the courtroom drama.
MGA founder Isaac Larian testified during the third trial that T.I., Tiny, and the OMG Girlz members played zero role in designing the dolls and called them “extortionists,” but the jury didn’t buy it then.
According to Billboard, MGA’s L.O.L. Surprise O.M.G. line, short for “Outrageous Millennial Girls,” became a massive success for the toy company, winning “Doll of the Year” at the 2020 Toy Industry Awards.
The company, based in Chatsworth, California, is also behind the Bratz and Little Tikes brands.
With this latest verdict, T.I. and Tiny’s recovery remains locked at the $17.9 million compensatory damages award from September 2024, and their legal team hasn’t indicated whether they’ll pursue further appeals.
