Megan Thee Stallion entered a major new phase of her legal fight on Tuesday, November 18th, as a federal jury in Miami began hearing her defamation case against online commentator Milagro Cooper. What brought the two women to court is Megan’s claim that Cooper used her platform to attack her character, dismiss her testimony, and stir up hostility toward her after she identified Tory Lanez as the person who shot her in 2020. Lanez was later convicted of the crime, and Megan is now asking the court to hold Cooper responsible for what she describes as intentional and damaging conduct.
The lawsuit includes three central claims: defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the promotion of an altered sexual depiction. This last count relies on Florida’s new 2024 law addressing the distribution of AI created sexual imagery. Megan says Cooper liked a deepfake video of her on X and then posted “Go to my likes,” which Megan’s team argues encouraged followers to watch and spread the altered clip. She says Cooper repeated similar instructions on Stationhead, signaling purposeful direction rather than casual online engagement.
Before the trial began, attorneys questioned potential jurors about their knowledge of Lanez’s case, their views of Megan, and whether they knew anything about his conviction. After nine jurors were selected, they were told they would see deposition footage from Lanez and commentary from influencers such as Adin Ross and DJ Akademiks, both of whom have talked about the case online.
Cooper became the first witness to testify. On the stand, she admitted she pointed her audience toward the explicit AI video, but argued that the clip was already circulating and that viewers were asking about it. She insisted she covered the story on her own terms, though she acknowledged that she hoped Lanez might eventually sit down with her for an exclusive interview.
Judge Cecilia Altonaga decided earlier this year that Cooper’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit did not meet legal standards, which cleared the way for this trial. Proceedings are expected to last through next Wednesday, and jurors may return after Thanksgiving if more time is required.
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