A federal judge in Riverside on Monday ordered MGA Entertainment Inc. into receivership as a result of the company’s loss of the Bratz franchise to rival Mattel Inc.

The judge also denied MGA’s request to reduce a $100 million jury verdict awarded to the Barbie maker.

The Van Nuys company asked U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Larson to reduce the $100 million award to $20 million, but Larson denied the request and said “the fact is the evidence not only supported a verdict of $100 million, this court could have easily sustained a verdict many times this amount.”

A federal jury awarded the El Segundo company the $100 million sum last year after finding that a Mattel doll designer created the Bratz name and characters while working for the company and improperly took the idea to MGA.

In response to Mattel’s concerns that Chief Executive Isaac Larian had been hiding the company’s assets from creditors, Larson appointed Patrick Fraioli of Beverly Hills law firm Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP as a temporary receiver and investigator.

“Good cause exists to believe that the MGA parties … are engaging in, or about to engage in transactions, acts, practices and courses of businesses that constitute fraudulent transfers of assets and violations of Mattel’s ownership,” Larson wrote in his order.

Larson also forbid MGA from manufacturing, marketing and selling the Bratz fashion dolls. The ruling lifted a stay on a previous order. However, retailers and distributors are still permitted to sell Bratz products through the 2009 retail season. After that, retailers must begin returning any unsold inventory to MGA, which will have to turn it over to Mattel.

A lawyer for Mattel declined to comment on the order. An MGA spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.