The presiding judge TI and his wife Tameka “Tiny” HarrisA case against a footballer has been declared guilty, after jurors heard a woman testify “I didn’t want to support a company that preyed on African Americans and their ideas.”
The lawsuit, which has been filed against MGA Entertainment, alleges that the toy company defrauded her daughter of its OMG Dollz toy line, which the woman called cultural appropriation.
Zonnique Pullins, T.I.’s stepdaughter, was part of the rap girl group OMG Girlz, whose looks bear a striking resemblance to the aforementioned dolls. The Shade Room it has already been said.
Jury Hears Woman Makes Racist Comments in Rapper TI’s Lawsuit Against Toy Company
On Wednesday, US District Judge James V. Selna announced the not guilty plea, agreeing with the argument made by MGA’s lawyers.
“I didn’t want to support a company that robs Africans of their ideas,” the woman was heard saying.
Jurors in @MGAEnt v. @Tip heard from a woman who said she stopped buying OMG Dolls because “I didn’t want to support a company that robs the American people of their ideas.”
Today, the judge announced that he was not guilty of this, agreeing with this argument from MGA’s lawyers. pic.twitter.com/51LXV8gFBO
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) January 25, 2023
According to court documents obtained by court reporter Meghann Cuniff, Judge Selna found the woman’s testimony about social media to be “flawed” in favor of the defendants, which in this case is MGA Entertainment.
Rapper’s Lawyer Tries to Get Judge to Reconsider, Says Woman’s Testimony Won’t Help Their Case.
TI’s attorney, Erin Ranahan, tried to get Judge Selna to reconsider, saying the evidence was not helpful to their case.
“We didn’t want this title especially in front of these judges. This is not Los Angeles. There is not one black person on the jury.”
The rapper and his wife are suing the footballer for using his stepson’s dolls, which they say took away from his image while working in the rap group OMG Girlz.
Recently in federal court in Santa Ana, California: Rapper TI and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, are suing to protect the copyright of former rap group OMG Girlz in a lawsuit by toy maker MGA Entertainment. pic.twitter.com/5yTN39AXHA
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) January 5, 2023
In April 2022, Pullins accused the doll company OMG Dolls of writing makeup for OMG Girlz, a group she was in as a teenager, Nick Fenley of The Shade Room wrote for Blavity at the time.
The Harris family was in the midst of a copyright lawsuit against former rap group OMG Girlz, Cuniff says.
TI’s stepson was in OMG Girlz, along with Lil Wayne’s daughter.
The case contains “a major breach of culture, issues of discrimination are considered in the cases,” says the reporter.
In an Instagram post Zonnique made in April, she asked her followers about this issue, telling them to choose “I hope you’re paid” and “No, don’t see (similarity).”
About 95 percent of respondents agreed with Pullins.
The same case will be about MGA’s OMG dolls and whether or not they infringe on OMG Girlz. The toy maker was actually the first to file a lawsuit in 2020, but now TI and Tiny are going to counter.
Cuniff says the case has “serious cultural and racial flaws in the judicial process, among other pre-trial issues,” he wrote on Twitter.
It is unclear when the new trial will begin.
