No verdict yet in Megan Thee Stallion's defamation trial as jury recesses for Thanksgiving
Jurors will return to the federal courthouse in Miami on Monday after deliberating for about 5 1/2 hours on Wednesday.
MIAMI — The jury in the federal trial over Megan Thee Stallion’s defamation lawsuit against online commentator Milagro Cooper did not reach a verdict today after about 5 1/2 hours of deliberation.
The five men and four women will return to the federal courthouse in Miami on Monday for more deliberation.
They asked a few questions about 90 minutes into deliberation. I didn’t hear the exact questions, but I was in the courtroom when U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga addressed them. The first asked to identify specific exhibits, and for the location of something in a recording, which Milagro’s lawyer identified as 8:25.
The second question asked about the Florida statute outlawing the promotion of a digitally altered sexual depiction, which is the basis for one of Megan’s three claims against Milagro.
Megan’s lawyer John O’Sullivan told jurors on Tuesday that the law is “brand new.”
“The law is trying to catch up,” O’Sullivan said.
I think the jury’s question on Wednesday was about where the law applies, because Milagro’s lawyer wanted to say it’s specific to Florida but Megan’s lawyer said other states have similar laws.
Judge Altonaga said she’d tell them in writing to “please rely on the instructions that I have given you.”
Jury also apparently asked where Megan was when she saw the video. She testified she was in the back of her tour bus, but the judge said she’d write to the jury, “Please rely on your memory of evidence.”
A juror had to leave at 4 p.m., so the jury stopped deliberating then. They return at 9 a.m. on Monday.
Here’s Milagro leaving with her attorneys and friend:
Jurors during the seven-day trial heard many recordings of Milagro profanely discussing Megan, and they saw Twitter posts and other writings criticizing her. But only a few comments were part of the defamation claim, which asked if jurors “find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Ms. Cooper defamed Ms. Pete by accusing Ms. Pete of perjury—a felony—by lying under oath in a criminal trial?”
The statements at issue are:
Milagro’s tweet on Dec. 21, 2022, “All this case taught anyone was you father, brother, cousin or son could face over 20 years in prison without proper evidence, a botched investigation, & another likely suspect just because non credible witnesses said you did something. & y’all slow asses cheering.” The jury instructions say Megan is claiming that Milagro said she “was a non credible witness.”
Milagro’s statement to DJ Akademiks shortly after Lanez’s trial that she “could go down the list of all the different shit that was not true” from Megan’s testimony.
Milagro’s tweet asking, “Was Megan Thee Stallion caught trying to deceive the courts again?” and explaining a filing in a lawsuit against Megan by her former photographer Emilio Garcia that accused Megan of lying about her Florida residency. Jurors have seen Milagro’s entire post about Garcia’s lawsuit but have heard nothing about Megan’s defense and the allegations being only allegations.
Jurors are to decide if Milagro qualifies as media under Florida state law. Judge Altonaga will have the final say after trial, and if she says Milagro is a media defendant, the defamation claim will be dismissed because Megan’s lawyers didn’t notify Milagro of a potential lawsuit and give her time to retract the statements.
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The questions on the draft verdict form are:
Do you find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Ms. Cooper provides disinterested and neutral commentary, rather than advocacy for a particular client or personal interest?
Do you find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Ms. Cooper regularly disseminates news or information to the public, rather than making isolated or one-time publications?
Do you find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Ms. Cooper impartially disseminates information, rather than acting primarily to promote their own business, products, or services?
Milagro testified on Tuesday that she’s “new media.”
“I do much more than just writing articles, but at the same time, the legwork that official journalists do, I have done it time and time again,” she said.
She differentiated her live stream “persona” from her real personality and said there’s “a stark difference in the way that I run my show and the way that I live my life.”
“I don’t live by do as I say. You have to navigate a certain way,” she said. “I know I’m rough. I know I have a potty mouth. I know all of that. But when it is all said and done, I’m a good person with a good heart who cares about people.”
In cross, O’Sullivan, a partner in Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP’s Miami office, played recordings of Milagro distinguishing herself from journalists.
“At what point in time hasn’t this show read that this is for entertainment purposes?” Milagro said.
“I told you I have a psychology and a criminal justice degree, I aint ever told you I went to school for journalism. … And to be honest, being a journalist ain’t fucking hard, honestly,” she continued.
In his closing argument, Milagro’s lawyer Jeremy McLymont displayed a childhood photo of Milagro surrounded by older family members.
“She grew up around individuals who have a certain type of vernacular. They have a certain type of personality. She took the personalities that she saw as a child ... and she created a radio show,” McLymont said.
He said Milagro is “no different than any other nighttime television show you might watch. No different from various shows or comedians.”
O’Sullivan said in his closing argument that the case is not one “where a reporter went too far.”
His argument focused mostly on Tory Lanez’s guilt.
He referenced Lanez’s AK-47 chest tattoo, his “rapper image” and his “Cap” music video in which he’s chopping an apparent horse leg.
“Of course he did it,” Sullivan said. “Before it ever happened, he’s got some things about him that says, yeah, he’s probably a guy that can do that.”
O’Sullivan told jurors that Megan being shot is “not a matter of opinion.’
“We have a criminal justice process, and it’s about the truth, and we have protections built in so that we don’t send people to jail by accident. We have appeals in case they make mistake,” O’Sullivan said.
“The truth we have is that — Tory shot Meg,” O’Sullivan said. He said Milagro is “not entitled to questions.”
Milagro’s attorney asks Megan about gag order
Judge Altonaga allowed Milagro’s attorneys to question on Tuesday to question Megan about her “Cobra” music video and about a comment she made outside the courthouse that the judge ruled violated the order prohibiting public comments about the case.
“Just because you have freedom speech does not mean you have the freedom to bully,” Megan told a fan who asked her, “Megan what do you want all the bloggers to know about their behavior online?”
Megan testified that she doesn’t believe she spoke to the media.
“Did you tell the media something about freedom of speech and bullying?” McLymont asked.
Megan said she thought a fan asked her about bullying. She said the woman looked “like a hottie,” referring to her fans.
“I can’t tell who’s media and who’s not, because, like I said, it’s some of my fans. They come and they say encouraging things, so I don’t know who’s who.”
McLymont asked Megan about me, apparently because he knew I filmed the interaction and was trying to establish that Megan knew members of the media were present when she commented.
“You know Meghann Cuniff?” McLymont asked.
“I don’t know her personally, but I feel like I saw her, too,” answered.
“And she was out there in the crowd of people?” McLymont asked.
“I don’t know,” Megan answered.
I’ll be back at the courthouse Monday to await the verdict.
Previous articles:
Ceaser McDowell, Daniel Kinney, Lenore Walker
Opening statements and Milagro
Court documents:
Nov. 25 draft verdict form
Nov. 24 motion for sanctions
Nov. 23 reply
Nov. 22 Milagro’s media brief
Nov. 16 Megan’s media brief
Nov. 16 contempt order against Lanez
Nov. 13 Megan’s exhibit list
Nov. 13 Megan’s witness list
Oct. 30 judge rejects Lanez’s motion to quash
Oct. 9 sanctions order for deleted texts
Sept. 16 Aidin Ross’ motion to quash
Aug. 14 transcript of Milagro’s deposition
Aug. 1 order re: Lanez’s deposition
April 16 contempt motion for Lanez
April 16 transcript of Lanez’s deposition
Feb. 10 most recent complaint
Dec. 23, 2024 motion to dismiss
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