Mattel Inc. asked a federal judge to declare a mistrial in its long-running copyright lawsuit against rival MGA Entertainment Inc over the popular Bratz dolls.
In a Wednesday filing with the federal court in Los Angeles, Mattel alleged that MGA Chief Executive Isaac Larian made several comments that tainted the jury and deprived it of a fair trial. Among these comments were that Mattel destroyed Larian’s family; caused the death of Larian’s father; and caused Barbie doll designer Carter Bryant, who came up with the original Bratz sketches, to have a stroke, the filing shows.
If a mistrial is not granted, Mattel asked U.S. District Judge David Carter to tell the jury that Larian’s statements are false. A federal jury in 2008 ordered MGA and Larian to pay Mattel $100 million, but a federal appeals court threw out that ruling last year and ordered a new trial that began last month
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