Courts
The couple had hoped to restore some of the $53.6 million in punitive damages that a judge in California had previously thrown out
The fourth trial in a yearslong legal fight between T.I., Tameka “Tiny” Harris, and the toy giant MGA Entertainment did not go the celebrity couple’s way.
T.I. and Harris had sought to restore some of the $53.6 million in punitive damages that a judge in California had previously thrown out. But on Wednesday, the jury in the latest trial found that MGA had not acted with malice, meaning no punitive damages would be awarded. As a result, the couple’s total recovery remains capped at the $17.9 million in compensatory damages awarded by a different jury nearly two years ago.
“We appreciate the jury’s time and consideration but are disappointed in the verdict,” T.I. and Tiny’s lawyers, led by John Keville, Chante Westmoreland, and Robert Green, said in a statement. “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. 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. We will continue to fight for our clients’ rights and the rights of all creatives.”
