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Superstar rapper Megan Thee Stallion secured a major win in her civil defamation case against blogger Milagro "Gramz" Cooper.
A jury awarded the artist $75,000 in total damages after a legal battle where Megan Thee Stallion claimed the blogger had committed extreme and outrageous conduct that caused her serious emotional distress.
The verdict came about in a Florida courtroom shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday.
When leaving the courthouse with her legal team and Travis Farris, Megan Thee Stallion told reporters she felt "happy" and relieved that the long legal process had ended.
The total compensation for Megan Thee Stallion was given into several parts.
The jury decided that Milagro Cooper must pay $75,000, which includes $15,000 for defamation damages, $8,000 for emotional distress related to the posts, and an additional $50,000 specifically for a deepfake pornographic video.
The rapper also received $1,000 each for punitive damages and emotional distress.
One of the most damaging pieces of evidence presented during the trial centered on the deepfake video.
The jury heard testimony that Cooper shared a fake sex tape of Megan Thee Stallion online.
Although the clip was only posted for about 20 minutes before it came down, many people online believed it was real, causing further trauma for the rapper.
During the intense trial, Megan Thee Stallion took the stand and gave emotional testimony.
She described the trauma she experienced in the aftermath of Cooper’s online posts. Her testimony about the suffering clearly made an impact on the jury, who sided with her claims.
Cooper’s attorney, Jeremy McLymont, argued that the blogger's online comments were not the true source of Megan Thee Stallion's emotional distress.
McLymont said to the jury that the root cause of the rapper's post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was actually the highly public shooting incident she was a part of, and not Cooper’s actions.
Despite this argument, the jury ruled against the blogger. When asked about the verdict, Milagro Cooper admitted she was unsure if she could afford to pay the full amount awarded in the civil case.
