Megan Thee Stallion Triumphs In Defamation Lawsuit vs. Blogger

Photo Credit: Megan Thee Stallion (Instagram)

Megan Thee Stallion wins in her defamation lawsuit against a blogger who posted a sexually explicit deepfake video of her.

Megan Thee Stallion is having a hot girl holiday season as jurors rule in her favor in her defamation lawsuit against a Texas blogger who posted a sexually explicit deepfake video of the rapper. In Miami federal court on Monday afternoon, jurors found blogger Milagro Cooper culpable of defamation and ordered her to pay Meg $75,000.

According to Megan’s lawsuit, Cooper spread defamatory posts online and circulated an AI-generated explicit video in violation of Florida law. Cooper, better known as Milagro Gramz, allegedly created a space online for people to joke about Megan Thee Stallion’s 2020 shooting incident involving fellow rapper Tory Lanez. Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted of shooting Meg, whose real name is Megan Pete, in the foot, and is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence.

Both women testified multiple times during the trial. In Meg’s testimony, she told jurors that the ordeal left her feeling like her “life was not worth living.” She said the deepfake video “severely damaged” her mental health and career, and caused her to lose at least four music contracts worth about $1 apiece. Pete also testified that she had completed a four-week therapy program costing about $240,000 as a result.

The ruling came after two days of deliberations, with jurors in Miami federal court finding Cooper liable for defaming Pete, intentionally causing emotional distress by coordinating with the incarcerated Tory Lanez, and furthering the reach of the sexually explicit deepfake video. Under Florida law, Cooper’s liability for the deepfake video also means she owes Meg her legal fees, which are expected to top $1 million, in addition to the $75,000 in damages she owes as per the court ruling.

Interestingly, jurors found that Cooper “should be treated as a media defendant,” which Cooper herself had requested—part of her defense was that her actions constituted protected journalism. However, the jury also found that she was not neutral, which negated her status as a media defendant. The judge can still uphold Cooper as a media defendant, which would see the defamation count ultimately dismissed, but sources say this is unlikely.

Jurors awarded compensatory damages of $15,000 for defamation, $8,000 for emotional distress, and $50,000 for promotion of the deepfake video. They also added $1,000 in punitive damages for the defamation count, and another $1,000 in punitive damages for the emotional distress.