A US federal jury has sided with rapper Megan Thee Stallion in her lawsuit against a blogger who was found to have defamed and harassed the artiste following her 2020 shooting by Tory Lanez, per nbcnews.com.
While the jury panel agreed the blogger, Milagro Cooper (who operates under the name Milagro Gramz), was liable, the final awarded damages were limited to less than six figures.
The panel of nine jurors in Miami found in favour of Megan Pete, known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, in her case against Cooper, whose material was posted in the aftermath of the July 2020 incident where R&B musician Tory Lanez shot the rapper.
Jurors initially awarded Ms Pete \$75,000, which US District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga later reduced to a final judgment of \$59,000 on Tuesday.
The jury found that Ms Cooper had willfully encouraged her thousands of followers across X and Instagram to view a sexually explicit “deepfake” video of the rapper that had been circulating online.
Judge Altonaga’s ruling confirmed the judgement for the plaintiff on claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress and promotion of an altered sexual depiction.
Megan Thee Stallion had accused Ms Cooper of acting as a “mouthpiece,” a “puppet,” and a “paid surrogate” for Tory Lanez.
Mari Henderson, the rapper’s attorney, welcomed the decision, stating: “We’re thankful for the jury’s commitment to reinforcing the importance of truth, accountability and responsible commentary on social media.”
Ms Henderson also noted that Florida’s fee-shifting legal provision would require Ms Cooper to cover Ms Pete’s legal costs on the deepfake claim, adding that the verdict “sends a clear message that spreading dangerous misinformation carries significant consequences.”
Ms Pete did not speak to reporters upon leaving court on Monday.
Ms Cooper, while respecting the verdict, expressed a lack of enthusiasm. “I’m not ecstatic,” she said. “Of course, you want things to go your way, but like I said, I respect the jury and what they decided.”
Her attorney, Jeremy McLymont, expressed relief that the damages awarded did not reach seven digits, acknowledging that the result was not a “complete win for any side.”
Tory Lanez shot Megan Thee Stallion in the foot after the pair left a party at Kylie Jenner’s home in Los Angeles in 2020. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted of three felony charges in December 2022 and subsequently sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Megan Thee Stallion has stated that she has struggled with mental health issues following both the shooting and the subsequent online harassment.
