According to reporting from Allhiphop, a federal judge has reinstated a defamation verdict in favor of rapper Megan Thee Stallion against blogger Milagro Gramz, reversing an earlier ruling that had blocked judgment on the claim and restoring a $75,000 damages award.
Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga ruled May 29 that Milagro Gramz, whose legal name is Milagro Cooper, was not entitled to protections under Florida’s media-defendant statute for the statements at issue in the case. The decision revived a jury’s December 2025 finding that Cooper defamed Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete.
The lawsuit stemmed from allegations that Cooper spread false claims about Pete online and promoted a deepfake sexual video depicting the Grammy-winning artist. Pete filed suit in federal court in 2024, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations related to altered sexual depictions.
A Miami jury found Cooper liable on all three claims in December 2025 and recommended $75,000 in damages. However, Altonaga later ruled that Cooper qualified as a media defendant under Florida law, which requires plaintiffs to provide notice before filing certain defamation claims. Because Pete had not provided that notice, the judge initially declined to enter judgment on the defamation count, reducing the award to $59,000.
In her latest order, Altonaga revisited that issue and concluded that the trial record did not support Cooper’s claim to media-defendant protections. According to court findings cited in the ruling, Cooper received payments from individuals connected to rapper Tory Lanez, obtained information from his team before other outlets, and assisted with matters related to his criminal defense. Those findings led the judge to determine that Florida’s pre-suit notice requirement did not apply in this instance.
The ruling restores the jury’s defamation verdict and returns the damages award to $75,000.
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted in 2022 of shooting Pete during an incident in Los Angeles and is serving a 10-year prison sentence. Pete’s lawsuit alleged that Cooper acted as a paid surrogate for Lanez and participated in a campaign to discredit her following the criminal case.
The litigation has drawn attention beyond the music industry because of broader questions about whether social media commentators and influencers qualify for legal protections traditionally afforded to journalists. The case has also highlighted concerns about online harassment, misinformation, and the spread of AI-generated explicit content.
Neither Pete nor Cooper immediately issued public statements following the latest ruling. The amended judgment represents one of the most significant legal victories for Pete in her ongoing efforts to combat online attacks tied to the aftermath of the Lanez shooting case.
