A federal judge on Monday rejected a defense motion for a mistrial in the Mattel vs. Bratz case.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson ruled that the damages phase of a trial that gave Mattel Inc. ownership of drawings and models for MGA Entertainment Inc.’s Bratz doll can proceed despite juror misconduct.

Larson dismissed a juror on July 25 after finding that she had made racial remarks during deliberations about Van Nuys-based MGA Chief Executive Isaac Larian, an Iranian Jewish immigrant.

The jury in federal court in Riverside had ruled the week before that Bratz designer Carter Bryant came up with the concept for the pouty-lipped dolls while working at El Segundo-based Mattel, maker of the rival Barbie doll line.