What's Inside?
- A nine-member jury ruled that Milagro Gramz defamed and harassed Megan Thee Stallion by spreading false claims and promoting an explicit deepfake video targeting the rapper.
- Jurors initially awarded $75,000 in damages, later reduced to $59,000 by Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga, affirming that the harmful online campaign caused emotional and professional harm.
- Megan’s win is among the first to apply Florida’s newer protections against AI-generated explicit content, signaling increased legal consequences for bloggers and creators who amplify misinformation.
Megan Thee Stallion secured a decisive legal victory this week as a federal jury ruled that blogger Milagro Gramz defamed, harassed, and emotionally harmed the Grammy-winning rapper through years of harmful online conduct. The verdict, delivered in the Southern District of Florida, awarded Megan monetary damages and confirmed that the content creator spread false claims and amplified explicit deepfake material that targeted the artist after the Tory Lanez shooting in 2020.
How Megan Thee Stallion Proved Defamation Against Milagro Gramz
The nine-member federal jury, five men and four women, found that Milagro Gramz, legally known as Milagro Elizabeth Cooper, “willfully encouraged” her audience to engage with content that attacked Megan Thee Stallion’s credibility and character. The material centered on the aftermath of the July 15, 2020 shooting, when R&B musician Tory Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, fired a semiautomatic weapon that injured the rapper. Lanez was later convicted on three felony counts, including “assault with a semiautomatic firearm” and “discharging a firearm with gross negligence,” and he received a sentence of up to 10 years.
Cooper posted conspiracies and inflammatory statements challenging the legitimacy of the shooting. She also promoted a sexually explicit AI-generated deepfake video purporting to show Megan. In court, Megan explained how the clip affected her mental health, admitting she felt “defeated” even while knowing the video was fabricated.
Megan Thee Stallion has won her defamation civil lawsuit against Milagro Gramz and will be awarded $59,000. pic.twitter.com/DF46C8eyiJ
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 1, 2025
Megan’s lawsuit detailed a multi-year “campaign of harassment” that not only distorted facts about the shooting but also pushed claims that she was a “mouthpiece,” a “puppet,” and a “paid surrogate” for Lanez. Jurors agreed. They awarded $75,000 in damages, though U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga later reduced the award to $59,000. The judge also adjusted the legal classification of Cooper, ultimately removing the defamation portion of the award from the final order after determining she should be treated as a media defendant.
Cooper gave a brief reaction after the verdict. “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, emphasized their acceptance of the outcome, saying, “We respect the jury’s verdict. You always have to, right? Whether we agree with it or not, we respect it. At the end of the day it was not a complete win for any side.”
Cooper’s legal team later expressed broader concerns through attorney Nathacha Bien-Aimé, who stated the verdict “raises serious concerns about the future of free speech online” and argued that “everyday people may become afraid to speak, post, or participate in public conversations out of fear that they will face litigation for their words.”
Why the Megan Thee Stallion Verdict Matters for Online Accountability
The case stands out as one of the earliest tests of Florida’s expanded legal protections against nonconsensual AI-generated explicit content. Megan’s attorneys argued that Cooper’s actions amounted to cyberstalking, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the unlawful distribution of manipulated sexual imagery. A jury agreed and delivered a verdict that signals stronger accountability for digital creators who publish harmful material about public figures.
Megan filed the suit in October 2024, stating in her complaint: “Ms. Pete — a victim of violent crime and champion of women’s rights to her millions of fans worldwide — will no longer stand for Defendant’s campaign of harassment.” Evidence presented in court showed that Cooper circulated falsehoods ranging from claims that Megan lied about being shot to allegations that the gun used in the attack had mysteriously vanished. She also amplified an edited sexual depiction that the lawsuit said caused “severe emotional distress and reputational harm.”
This courtroom win follows a similar high-profile outcome in the music world after Cardi B prevailed in her $4 million defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Tasha K. Megan’s case adds momentum to a growing shift in how courts approach online commentary, misinformation, and the responsibilities of digital publishers.
Megan left the courthouse without answering questions, yet her legal victory speaks for itself.
