“The OMG Girlz’ litigation tactics, over-reaching claims, and misconduct — including violating one of this Court’s … rulings as to require a mistrial — justify awarding MGA the over $6.1 million in fees spent litigating this matter,” the company’s lawyers wrote in a new court filing on Monday .began in 2021, when T.I. and Tiny claimed that MGA had committed both “cultural appropriation and outright theft of the intellectual property” by stealing the look of the OMG Girlz.
The case initially went to trial in January, but on the fifth day of the proceedings jurors heard videotaped deposition testimony in which a former MGA customer claimed the company “steals from African Americans and their ideas and profit off of it.” After MGA’s lawyers argued the comment had ruined their chances of a fair trial, the federal judge overseeing the case quickly granted a mistrial.. But after a 10-day trial in Los Angeles that saw both T.I.
In Monday’s filing, MGA said the case had been exactly that kind of “exceptional” situation. They argued that T.I.’s lawyers used an “extremely aggressive” style that made the case “exceptionally contentious,” and claimed that the other side had committed “discovery misconduct.” They also cited the missteps that led to the mistrial, which required an entire second trial to be staged.
“Both in the manner the OMG Girlz litigated this case, and the weakness of the substantive claims and theories the OMG Girlz presented , the Court should conclude that this case stands out from others,” MGA wrote.Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox