T.I. and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, just leveled up from “rich-rich” to “ultra-super-rich” after winning a court case that would make even Monopoly Man blush.
The dynamic duo just secured a jaw-dropping $71 million payday after a legal smackdown with MGA Entertainment, the toy empire behind the wildly popular “L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G.” dolls (a title so long it feels like a text conversation between two overly excited teenagers).
So what caused T.I. and Tiny to go to legal war with dolls? It turns out that MGA got a little too inspired by a girl group that Tiny helped form back in 2009 called the OMG Girlz. Tiny’s daughter Zonnique Pullins, along with her bandmates Bahja Rodriguez and Breaunna Womack, had been rocking colorful wigs, fierce outfits, and girl-power energy way before the dolls hit store shelves.
According to Rolling Stone (a magazine that probably never thought they’d be covering doll drama), the jury found that 13 dolls out of 30 looked a little too much like they were auditioning to be the fourth member of the OMG Girlz. Apparently, these dolls were guilty of more than just serving sass—they were also serving major copyright infringement vibes.
Tiny couldn’t hide her excitement after the verdict. “I mean, WOW. I would’ve been happy with anything, but they really went above and beyond. It’s like when you order a small fries and they accidentally give you a large. Blessings!” She went on to lament not being able to thank the jurors, possibly because sprinting down the courthouse steps with bags of cash isn’t exactly the vibe.
T.I., who could probably file a lawsuit with a rhyme at this point, chimed in: “Justice was served. It’s a testament to the persistence of my wife, daughter, and nieces. We’re out here fighting for creatives, reminding corporations that intellectual property is not some kind of ‘free for all you can grab like candy at a parade.’”
Zonnique, the OMG Girlz’ lead singer, was feeling all the feels during the trial. “When the judge asked if we had a memorable trade dress and the entire jury raised their hands, I almost lost it. We all cried—silently, of course, because we were in court, and ugly crying wasn’t on the docket.”
T.I. and Tiny proved that not only can they make hits in music, but they can also make major bank in court.
