Digital Music News reports that a jury in federal district court in Santa Ana declined to award punitive damages against toymaker MGA in the fourth trial in the infringement case brought by Rapper T.I. and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris
This latest trial seems to have been a giant waste of resources. After the previous trial, the district court ruled that the plaintiffs failed to present sufficient evidence to sustain a punitive damages award. As we noted here, that should have been the end of the matter. Under well-established law, plaintiffs who fail to prove their case the first time around are not entitled to try again. But for some reason the district court gave the plaintiffs here a do-over. This time, it was the jury who rejected their evidence, not the court.
Given the history of this case, plaintiffs are likely to seek a new trial in order to try yet again. The court might not be so generous this time.
