The courtroom in Miami stepped into one of Hip Hop’s most tense chapters on Monday, November 18, as the federal defamation trial involving online commentator Milagro Cooper officially opened. At the center of it all is Megan Thee Stallion, who alleges that Cooper used her platform to harass her, discredit her, and intimidate her after she testified against Tory Lanez, the rapper convicted of shooting Megan in 2020.

Megan is pursuing three claims against Cooper: defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the promotion of an altered sexual depiction. The third claim leans on a new Florida law, enacted in 2024, that imposes penalties for people who knowingly promote AI-altered sexual content of identifiable individuals. According to Megan’s complaint, Cooper liked a deepfake video of Megan on X, then posted “Go to my likes,” which her team says encouraged her audience to watch and circulate the altered clip. She also told her Stationhead listeners to check her likes, which Megan argues shows purposeful direction.

During jury selection, prospective jurors were questioned about their knowledge of the Lanez case, their opinions about Megan, and their familiarity with Lanez’s conviction. Once seated, the nine jurors were told they would see deposition footage from Lanez, along with video excerpts from online commentators such as Adin Ross and DJ Akademiks, both of whom previously weighed in on the case.

Cooper took the stand as the first witness and acknowledged that she directed followers to the explicit AI video, but claimed it was already circulating online and that her audience was asking about it. She insisted she covered the story independently, even though she hoped Lanez would eventually grant her an exclusive interview.

Judge Cecilia Altonaga denied Cooper’s motion to dismiss earlier this year, allowing the case to move forward. The trial is expected to run through next Wednesday, with the possibility of jurors returning after Thanksgiving.