A federal jury in Miami delivered a mixed verdict Monday in rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s lawsuit against a Houston blogger, awarding limited damages while rejecting a major portion of the singer’s claims.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, sued online commentator Milagro Cooper, accusing her of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and promoting an altered sexual image — a deepfake video falsely suggesting Pete appeared in a pornographic clip.
During an eight-day trial, jurors heard that Cooper received the AI-generated video link while livestreaming in June 2024. While questioning whether it was real, she told her roughly 20,000 followers on X that a link could be found in her “likes,” according to testimony. Cooper later removed the link during the same broadcast after determining the clip was fabricated, her attorney Jeremy McLymont said.
Jurors found Cooper liable for intentionally inflicting emotional distress and for promoting an altered sexual depiction. Pete was awarded $59,000, far less than the tens of millions in compensatory and punitive damages she had sought.
The panel also concluded Cooper defamed Pete by claiming she lied under oath in the 2020 shooting case involving rapper Tory Lanez. However, the judge struck both the defamation finding and the jury’s additional $16,000 damages award. The court ruled that Cooper qualified as a media defendant — meaning Pete was required to provide a pre-suit notice under Florida law before pursuing defamation. She did not.
“Ms. Cooper ultimately prevailed on Ms. Pete’s leading accusation, defamation, and the jury awarded a nominal amount of damages compared to the millions Ms. Pete demanded,” Cooper’s legal team said in a statement, adding that while they did not fully agree with the verdict, they respected the jury’s work.
Pete alleged during the case that Cooper received money from individuals linked to rapper Tory Lanez to publicly attack her credibility. Lanez was convicted of firing a gun in Pete’s direction in 2020, leaving bullet fragments in her foot. He is serving a 10-year prison sentence.
