Additional Coverage:
- Megan Thee Stallion wins defamation suit against blogger (nbcnews.com)
Megan Thee Stallion Wins Defamation Suit Against Blogger, Awarded Limited Damages
MIAMI, FL – A federal jury in Miami has sided with Grammy-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion, born Megan Pete, in her defamation and harassment lawsuit against blogger Milagro Cooper, also known as Milagro Gramz. However, the nine-person panel limited damages awarded to the rapper to less than six figures.
The lawsuit stemmed from content Cooper posted following the 2020 shooting incident involving R&B musician Tory Lanez, in which Megan Thee Stallion was injured.
Jurors initially awarded Megan Thee Stallion $75,000, a figure U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga indicated could be subject to change in her final written judgment.
“We’re thankful for the jury’s commitment to reinforcing the importance of truth, accountability and responsible commentary on social media,” stated Mari Henderson, Megan Thee Stallion’s attorney. Henderson added that Cooper would not only be responsible for compensatory and punitive damages but also for Megan’s legal bills related to a deepfake claim, thanks to Florida’s fee-shifting legal provision. “This verdict sends a clear message that spreading dangerous misinformation carries significant consequences,” Henderson concluded.
Upon leaving the courthouse, Cooper declined to comment to reporters and appeared neither particularly pleased nor distressed by the verdict. “I’m not ecstatic,” Cooper said. “Of course you want things to go your way, but like I said, I respect the jury and what they decided.”
Jeremy McLymont, Cooper’s attorney, expressed gratitude that the jury did not award damages in the seven-figure range. “We respect the jury’s verdict.
You always have to, right? Whether we agree with it or not, we respect it,” he remarked, adding, “At the end of the day it was not a complete win for any side.”
Megan Thee Stallion had accused Cooper of acting as a “mouthpiece,” “puppet,” and “paid surrogate” for Lanez, who shot her in Los Angeles on July 15, 2020.
Jurors specifically found that Cooper willfully encouraged her thousands of followers on X and Instagram to view a sexually explicit deepfake video of Megan Thee Stallion that had been circulating online.
The original shooting incident occurred after Megan Thee Stallion and Lanez left a party at Kylie Jenner’s home. A Los Angeles jury later found Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, guilty of three felony charges on December 23, 2022: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He was subsequently sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Megan Thee Stallion has openly discussed struggling with mental health issues following both the shooting and the subsequent harassment from the blogger.
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- Megan Thee Stallion wins defamation suit against blogger (nbcnews.com)