MIAMI — Megan Pete, better known as Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, arrived at federal court on Tuesday morning in Downtown Miami for a case that has raised concerns about the weaponization of deep fake porn and new media.
The civil trial against Milagro Cooper, better known for her online entertainment commentary as Milagro Gramz, started on Nov. 17. Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga has been presiding.
Pete has presented evidence to show that she has suffered as a result of social media posts by Cooper, whose defense has relied on the First Amendment and claims that she was not paid to post about Pete.
Pete filed a defamation lawsuit against Cooper on Oct. 29, 2024. Her attorneys placed Daystar Peterson, better known as Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, at the center of the case.
Pete’s attorneys claimed Cooper “acted on behalf of” Peterson as “an online rumor mill churning out falsehoods ... to her tens of thousands of social media followers.”
Attorneys focused on the nature of Cooper’s business as an independent entertainment commentator and on financial payments that Cooper received from Peterson’s father, Sonstar Peterson, of Toronto.
Before the trial started, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid, who presided over the civil case in Miami, fined Peterson $20,000 “for his obstruction” during Pete’s attorneys’ failed attempts to depose him, records show.
Pete was injured during a shooting on July 12, 2020. According to Los Angeles detectives, Peterson and Pete “were riding in an SUV in the Hollywood Hills” and Peterson shot at Pete “five times” after she “got out of the vehicle.”
After a trial, Peterson was convicted of assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford sentenced Peterson to 10 years in prison on Aug. 8, 2023.
“Peterson has engaged in a pattern of conduct that was intended to intimidate Ms. Pete and silence her,” District Attorney Gascón said after the sentencing -- also praising “her incredible bravery and vulnerability as she underwent months of probing investigation and court appearances where she had to relive her trauma.”
Peterson lost his appeal on Nov. 12. A Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Bloom ordered Peterson to stay away from Pete as part of a restraining order that is valid until Jan. 9, 2030.
Related document: Read the civil lawsuit
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