Judge makes false statements in TI & Tiny’s lawsuit against OMG Dollz
Presiding Judge TIEN and his wife Tameka “tiny” Harrisa lawsuit against a toy manufacturer was declared a false trial, after a jury heard a woman testify that she “don’t want to support a company that steals African-American ideas.”
The lawsuit, against MGA Entertainment, claims that the toy company stole an image of their daughter for their line of OMG Dollz toys, which the woman in question called cultural appropriation.
Zonnique Pullins, stepdaughter of TI, formerly a member of girl rap group OMG Girlz, who has a striking resemblance to the aforementioned dolls, Shade room previous report.
Jury overhears woman making prejudicial comments in Rapper TI’s lawsuit against a toy company
On Wednesday, US Senior District Judge James V. Selna declared the trial to be false, agreeing with the arguments of the MGA’s attorneys.
“I don’t want to support a company that steals African-American ideas,” the woman casually said.
jurors in @MGAEnt v. @Tip heard from a woman who said she stopped buying OMG Dolls because “I don’t want to support a company that steals African-American ideas and ideas.”
Today, a judge declared a trial false because of it, agreeing with this argument from MGA’s attorneys. pic.twitter.com/51LXV8gFBO
– Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) January 25, 2023
According to court documents obtained by crime reporter Meghann Cuniff, Judge Selna considered the woman’s testimony regarding cultural appropriation as a “obscenity” to the detriment of the defendants, in this case MGA Entertainment.
Rapper’s lawyer tries to ask judge to reconsider, claims woman’s testimony won’t help their case
TI’s attorney, Erin Ranahan, tried to ask Judge Selna to reconsider, arguing that the testimony did not help their case.
“We didn’t want that topic to speak in front of this jury. This is not Los Angeles. There’s not a Negro on the jury.”
The rapper and his wife are suing a toy maker for using his stepdaughter’s image in a series of dolls that they say detracted from her appearance while working in the group. rap OMG Girlz.
Coming to federal court in Santa Ana, California: Rapper TI and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, will go to court to defend the intellectual property rights of former female rap girl group OMG Girlz in a lawsuit against the toy maker MGA Entertainment. pic.twitter.com/5yTN39AHA
– Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) January 5, 2023
In April 2022, Pullins accused the doll company’s OMG Dolls of stealing the aesthetic concept of OMG Girlz, a group she joined during her teens, Nick Fenley of The Shade Room wrote to Blavity in at that moment.
The Harris family is in court to protect the intellectual property rights of former female rap group OMG Girlz, Cuniff reported.
TI’s stepdaughter joins OMG Girlz, along with Lil Wayne’s daughter.
Reporter said:
In an Instagram post Zonnique made in April, she polled her followers on the matter, asking them to choose between “Hope you get paid” and “No, don’t see (the similarity)”.
About 95% of respondents sided with Pullins.
The trial itself will be about MGA’s OMG Dolls and whether they violate OMG Girlz. The doll maker was actually the first to sue in 2020, but now TI and Tiny have hit out with a counterclaim.
Cuniff reports the lawsuit has “major issues of cultural appropriation and racism being considered in the case, among other issues pre-trial,” she tweeted.
It is unclear when a new trial will begin.